Who Is Harry Potter?
by BeepKeeper
Summary: When Harry arrives at Gringotts, Hagrid produces the key but there's nothing else proving that the child is Harry Potter. What if there is a dark story behind the origin of the Boy-Who-Lived. Bashing Potters, Sirius and Dumbles. Good Goblins and Harry's adventures at Hogwarts. HEA in the end.
1. Chapter 1

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

This is a story about Harry Potter and his origins. The goblins are good guys, wizards are prejudiced, and Dumbledore is a manipulative so-and-so. There will be a HEA ending but I am not certain what it will be as I am writing the story now. The first nine chapters are complete, and I want to publish them.

Note: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 in this story FORCED their way into the story line after I had written chapters 3, 4, and 5. This plan that James, Lily and Sirius concoct is very dark, and it wasn't where I thought the story would go. But it demanded to be written.

Chapter 1 Origin of a Wicked Plan February 1980

"I feel sorry for Frank and Alice," Lily confessed to James as they lay in bed. It was a cold winter's night and they snuggled underneath the covers to stay warm and to dispel the lingering sadness from dinner with Dumbledore, and Frank and Alice Longbottom.

"Just like Dumbledore to lay out the bad news just before dinner. I don't think Frank or Alice were able to eat a bite. But I agree with Dumbles, the Dark Lord will hunt them down and kill them and their kid," James agreed.

"Do you think Dumbledore told us because he thought we were pregnant too?" asked Lily.

Squeezing his wife tightly, James said, "No one knows that we can't have kids. And it's both of us – you and me so no one can blame you."

Lily Potter pulled closer to her wizard – if the fault lay with her alone, James could cast her aside without trouble. She was pleased that their love seemed strengthen by their shared bareness.

"And I killed the bastards that cast the spells at us," James reminded her. "Took them over an hour to die."

There was silence for a long time as the winter night slowly passed. Finally, Lily asked, "What if we were able to kill him before he can find Frank and Alice?"

"Kill the Dark Lord? Hunting him down doesn't work. We lost…"

"But what if he comes to us?"

"What have we got that would make him come here?"

"Like the prophecy says, we are a couple who have defined him three times," the witch reminded her husband.

"But we don't have a child due at the end of July."

"That's a technicality," Lily said. "I could crack the foundations of Hogwarts with a spell primed with enough power. If we can get the Dark Lord to come to us, a battleground of our choosing, I can create a spell that will kill him."

"Tell me what you're thinking…"

*(+++++)*

In early August, the Daily Prophet made the announcement of the birth of Neville Francis Longbottom on 30 July and the birth of Harry James Potter on 31 July. The Potter baby was born at home and the birth certificate was lost in the paper shuffle at the ministry. But his name appeared in the registry at Hogwarts though no one thought to look.

*(+++++)*

November 1980

Frank Longbottom hugged his wife as Lily Potter made a fuss over Neville, their little angel.

"He is adorable, Alice!" Lily assured her friend and they spent fifteen minutes talking about baby clothes and toys before Frank directed the conversation into a new direction.

"Now, tell us about your plan to end the Dark Lord."

James and his wife exchanged glances before Lily began a long discussion on her work in arithmancy to generate the power to overcome rituals, rings and spells that were wrapped around the Dark Lord.

Alice summoned a house elf and ordered it to bring several books from her personal library.

"I found these in the Ministry's lockup," the Auror explained. "They were confiscated from Amos Rowle when he was arrested."

Lily handed the baby back and looked at the books on multiplying the power of a spell.

"Great," James growled. "Now she's got new books to read this weekend."

*(+++++)*

March 1981

James wadded up the parchment from the Wizengamot; he had no intention of attending a court case where another Deatheater would be fined and then released. Dumbledore insisted on giving Deatheaters a second chance while more and more of the members of the Order of the Phoenix perished. Just last week, the Prewitt twins died in an ambush.

He was glad that he and Lily had taken the precaution of making the blood donations at Gringotts. Hidden under stasis spells in the Potter vault, if anything happened to them, Sowsbreath had the authority to perform a blood adoption with a suitable child to become a Potter. It might be a century or more, but the Potter name would return to Magical Britain if he fell in this war.

*(+++++)*

Frank watched as his wife stared out the window onto the lawn of Longbottom Grange. She was lovely even though the worry of Neville's future haunted her.

"I won't fuss, but I hoped for a smile when I exited the flue," Frank said. "Mother is keeping Neville in her wing of the house tonight, so we could be alone."

"Yes, I remember, and I shall give you my full attention tonight," Alice replied after she turned and smiled. "I do love you Francis Longbottom. With my whole heart and soul, I love you."

The usually stoic Auror beamed with happiness, "I love you too, Alice. You know this with every touch of my hand, every glance, and every kiss."

The witch stepped close to her husband and took his hand, leading him to a nearby table with an open book.

"Lily and James are planning to invoke a powerful magic to destroy the Dark Lord," she said before motioning toward the pages before them. "And in all the discussions of magic, there is the caveat that when powerful magic is summoned, there is always a price exacted."

"The Dark Lord's life… of course," her husband replied.

But Alice shook her head, "He dies but Magic itself will demand a payment… a life sacrificed for a life taken. That is why we believe that the afterlife requires us to pay for our actions in this life."

"Do you think Lily and James will suffer because of this magic?"

"Yes, and we will also because we agree to it."

"But Neville…"

"I know. And I am willing to pay whatever price that fate and magic charge against us if it means our baby lives."

*(+++++)*

July 31, 1981 Birthday Party

In the cottage in Godric's Hollow where the Potters hid underneath the fidelius charm, the couple sat in the dining room with a table covered with birthday presents for their 'son'.

"Even McGonagall sent a gift!" James mused as he glanced over the packages. "I didn't think the old puss had a heart."

"There's one from Alice and Frank!" Lily said, lifting a stuffed bear from the table.

"Well, they know to keep up appearances," James reminded her. "Their boy is the reason we're going through with this scheme."

Lily snorted, "Maybe that's the excuse you and Padfoot use but the challenge of pranking the Dark Lord and Dumbledore is what convinced you two to help me."

"You're right," her husband conceded. "I just didn't know faking having a kid was so much work. Everyone wants to see a picture… everyone volunteers to babysit."

"Everyone wants to babysit him…" Lily repeated.

*(+++++)*

"We've discussed this for months now," James argued with his wife. "You have constructed an incredible, powerful spell that will strip away all of the Dark Lord's protections and kill him. It's a work of genius! The Unspeakables will be knocking down our door once this is accomplished."

Lily nodded – her latest ambition was to become an Unspeakable at the ministry. She'd won the heart of James Potter over all the other girls at Hogwarts, and now she would take her place in the Unspeakables at the Ministry.

"But will the Ministry understand the spell had to be powered by two deaths?"

"We don't tell anyone that part," James said. And while Lily looked concerned, the wizard smiled and assured his wife, "I am certain the Unspeakables do stuff like that all the time."

"We need to decide soon; who do we sacrifice to power the spell?" asked Lily. "They need to be real, living wizards."

James grinned, "I know lots of Slytherins we can use."

"No, the Dark Lord would recognize them."

"But he might kill 'em anyway. He gets pissed off and kills his Deatheaters from time to time."

Lily and James exchanged ideas of acquaintances and enemies for several minutes before she seemed to make a decision.

"One of the sacrifices must be a child – the child we've let everyone think we had last year."

James grimaced. "Can it be Malfoy's kid? I hate that man."

"No, we'll not risk kidnapping Lucius and Narcissa's child." Lily shuddered, "That woman makes me… I always put myself with my back to a corner when she's in the room."

"Let's ask Padfoot about people with kids…"

*(+++++)*

Padfoot arrived with muggle takeout for dinner. Once the meal was finished, the three magical plotters began their discussion on how to approach the next hurdle in their plot.

"So, you need a real baby to complete the spell," Padfoot said after Lily explained. "That sucks… Where are we gonna get a kid? Does it have to be a magical kid? Muggles have plenty of kids lying around we could pick up."

"Yes, Pads… It needs to be a magical boy less than two years but more than one year."

Even though Sirius Black publicly denounced his family's dark ways and fought for the 'light' against the Dark Lord, he was still a member of the Black family and had a cold heart. When the problems with his parents grew too terrible to bare in his teenaged years, the Potters took him in and he did love his 'brother' James, but he cared nothing for other people.

His current sweetheart was a beautiful woman and he'd begun her education in the bedroom with great success but then she began the 'time for an engagement' refrain. And while it would infuriate his mother to become engaged to the half-blood McKinnon girl, Padfoot was not ready to be collared. Her father and brother acted offended and demanded that Sirius do the right thing. Her squalling nephews drove him mad during that last visit…

"I might know of a kid…" he offered with a smirk on his lips.

"Who?"

Sirius stared directly into the eyes of his best friend and said, "We'd have to kill the rest of the family…"

Lily and James paused before James said, "In for a knut, in for a galleon…"

"When do we do this?" Sirius asked.

Lily frowned, "We have to wait until Dumbledore says the Dark Lord is getting close to finding us."

"That's going to be cutting it close…"

Lily frowned and asked, "Do you want to take care of a baby for a long time?"

*(+++++)*

October 5, 1981

Albus Dumbledore greeted James Potter as the man stepped from the fireplace flue and into the headmaster's office at Hogwarts.

"James! It's good to see you. How is your lovely wife?"

"Lily is good, Headmaster.

"And your little boy?"

After a year of practice, James kept the image of a sleeping baby in his mind as he lied, "Harry is good; growing like a niffler."

"Ah, children are our future…" Dumbledore continued, maintaining his grandfatherly image.

"You asked to see me…"

The headmaster's face turned sorrowful as he explained, "My sources tell me the Dark Lord is desperate to find your son now. He killed two of his own Deatheaters who couldn't provide him with the information just this week."

"Any idea who died?"

"No, but Sirius must be most careful as your secret keeper!"

"He is," James replied. "Do you think the Deatheaters will target Sirius?"

"Without a doubt!" stated Dumbledore. "If they catch him, he's as good as dead."

"We need to make someone else the secret keeper then."

Dumbledore nodded, "Someone that no one would suspect. Someone who is quiet and not likely to be seen… like a mouse."

*(+++++)*

October 21, 1981

The morning after the Deatheaters killed the McKinnon family, the Daily Prophet raised the level of tension across all of magical Britain.

'**Dark Lord Targeting Neutral Families!'**

**The McKinnon family was 'dark' but neutral in the contest between the Dark Lord and his Deatheaters against Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. But the Aurors reported the entire family was sealed inside the magical house and incinerated by the powerful spells for fire cast from three different wands. The McKinnons, their two grown children, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren died in the fire.**

*(+++++)*

October 24, 1981

With the baby in the house, Lily realized she did want at least one child. The stinky nappy to the side, the laughs and smiles from the little fellow touched her heart.

"Don't get attached," James said from the doorway to the nursery. "You know…"

"I know, James. I just wish we…"

James Potter came and took his wife into his arms as she held the McKinnon brat. "We'll adopt our own in a year or two. Your plan is perfect – we'll take a year to mourn 'our' dead son, and look around for a good prospect…"

"Yes," Lily nodded. "We will stick to the plan! The Dark Lord will die, and we'll be heroes. Dumbledore proved you can turn defeating a dark lord into being the leader of magical Britain."

"That's the Slytherin in you coming out again," James said. "Put the kid to bed and then I will show you how much it turns me on for you to go all Slytherin in your planning…"

Little Henry McKinnon fell asleep quickly under the napping spell cast on him by Lily Potter. He looked for his brother and sister from time to time, and he missed 'Momma', but he was warm, fed, and held enough.

*(+++++)*

An owl arrived at lunch with news from Dumbledore. James read the note aloud, "The Dark Lord continues to search for your location. There have been three attacks on Sirius that I know of – I urge you to change secret keepers. My sources tell me the Dark Lord will find you on 1 November. He will make the effort on Samhain to find your secret and visit you the following night."

"The first of November. That's not long, but the change to Peter is safe if Dumbledore doesn't even know," Lily said. "I just don't trust him…"

"Who? Peter?"

Lily took a deep breath, "Sometimes I don't trust Dumbledore's methods and I never will trust Peter Pettigrew."

As usual, James dismissed Lily's concerns about his friends. They agreed to cutting Lupin out of their lives after school – his 'furry condition' would keep him from long-term, suitable employment, and James didn't want to have to support the man for his entire life. Sirius agreed, and Peter didn't care – so long as he wasn't dropped. He'd survive on the crumbs that fell from the table set for James Potter and Sirius Black.

*(+++++)*

Later in the day, Sirius Black came to visit once again, and the three plotters made their next move.

"The spell requires two persons be sacrificed before it will launch," Lily explained. "The child is one. Who do we use for the other?"

"Get someone to come babysit for the whole day… How about one of the neighbours?" suggested Sirius.

"No," James said. "There'd be too many questions asked about 'Harry' then. It needs to be someone we haven't talked to in months."

"Peter?" Lily suggested; that pureblood wizard always made her skin crawl. "He's the secret keeper and can come here anytime."

Sirius and James grinned. "Lovely idea but he's part of the Order so he'd realize something is off when we're gone on 'business' that hasn't been discuss with Dumbledore."

"I know… What about Moony?" Sirius exclaimed. "Last time I talked to him, I had to make up all kinds of reasons why I couldn't get together with him."

"What's he doing now?" Lily asked but her husband and best friend both shrugged.

"What does any werewolf do?" scorned Sirius.

"He creeps around the woods and chases deer," James joked.

In the end, Lily and James sent Remus a letter asking if he could come babysit for them on 1 November. They would be gone from lunch until after midnight on a secret mission and Sirius would be with them.

In correspondence over the next week, the owls carried letters back and forth to Moony to cajole his agreement to stay with Harry on the afternoon and evening of the day after Halloween. On October 28, James sent the final letter with the map and the secret to their location.

*(+++++)*

Albus Dumbledore spent an additional hour considering everything he knew about the Dark Lord and the prophecy – the chosen child was Neville Longbottom, that was for certain. But then James and Lily announced the birth of their son – no one knew they were expecting. And for the past fifteen months, they declined to bring the child forth for anyone to see.

'_I despise when amateurs attempt to plot around me!'_ he decided. _'Their plots are clumsy, and things never work out like they think they will.'_

'_Now if only they'd make Peter the secret keeper, Tom could reach them and end this farce!' _

*(+++++)*

Page 19


	2. Chapter 2

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter, the plan to kill the Dark Lord comes together but not exactly as scheduled. Consequences fall on everyone.

Chapter 2: Karma October 31, 1981 Godric's Hollow

In the middle of the afternoon, James, Lily and Sirius completed the final spell to anchor the catastrophic spell to the cottage.

Sweating from the effort, Sirius said, "Merlin, those spells will create a powerful blast! Will any part of the house survive this spell?"

"That depends on how strong the Dark Lord really is," Lily said. She saw her husband and his friend both wince with fear that she'd begin another lecture on the arithmetic formulas she'd constructed to create this spell.

Grinning, she took pity but still smacked her husband's arm, "I enjoy my work! Sue me!"

"What does that mean?" asked Sirius. "Some muggle expressions don't translate well."

James shook his head, "Everything is ready. I hate setting the primer spells the day before we need 'em but with Lupin here from lunch time on tomorrow, I don't want to take a chance he'll feel or smell anything to make him suspicious."

Sirius nodded but then asked, "He always said he could smell deceit. How are you going to get around that tomorrow?"

Lily smiled, "I will have a spicy meal cooked for him – he always was hungry when we were at Hogwarts. The aroma of the food will hide part of our scent."

"And I intend to shag Lily in the living room tomorrow morning… That scent will put him off the rest."

"James!" Lily protested as she blushed.

Sirius just snickered and said, "That sofa is big enough for the two of you to go to town… Leave a wet spot for Remus to scent."

James pulled Lily close to kiss while Sirius claimed to be blinded by the scene. Black soon left for his apartment, using a premade portkey – all three would remain sluggish from casting the spells in the cottage.

*(+++++)*

After a very late dinner, James and Lily sat on the couch for several minutes before they heard the baby crying upstairs.

"Is that the hungry, dirty nappy, or lonely cry?" asked James.

Lily shrugged, "I don't know, but I better go figure it out. Don't want him to get colic or a rash."

"What?" James asked, mystified by everything dealing with the 'baby'.

It was only ten minutes later while James Potter was leafing through a quidditch magazine that the front door was blown off the hinges and into the entry hall. He stood with his wand in hand as the bright green light sped forward and he knew nothing else.

With the first death, the spell to kill Voldemort was primed.

In the nursery, Lily Potter heard the explosion of the door, heard a spell being cast downstairs, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. The walls reflected a bright green from the entry way that filled the stairwell.

"James!" she cried. With the child in her arms, Lily's first instinct was to flee but their attacker had placed an antiapprarition ward over the property to prevent that spell. James was dead, and another had to die to invoke the spell – she couldn't allow her husband's sacrifice to be wasted.

Steeling herself, Lily placed the child into the crib, grabbed her wand, and moved out of the way. Perhaps she could survive if she didn't stand in the way of the Dark Lord when he killed the baby.

A figure appeared in the doorway as Lily hid in the shadows.

"You think to attack me from behind?" hissed the sibilant voice of the dark lord. His wand cast a spell that froze her in place before Voldemort cast again and killed Lily Potter.

The moment of the second death, magic invoked the catastrophic spell to overwhelm the Dark Lord. His rings, relics, robes, and wand were destroyed as his complete form was annihilated.

Out on the street, Peter Pettigrew, a secret Deatheater in the Order of the Phoenix, transformed into his rat animagus form and fled into the shrubbery, running until he collapsed in the fields outside the village – something had gone wrong and the Dark Lord, or worse, Sirius Black, would torture him when one or the other caught him!

The destruction of the Dark Lord blew off part of the roof and threw Lily Potter's corpse across the nursery to land in front of the crib where it was found by Sirius Black only minutes later.

The kid was standing up in his crib crying with a cut on his forehead. Sirius carried him downstairs and out of the house where he found Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper for Hogwarts. When the half-giant asked for 'Harry', Sirius handed over the baby without a second thought and announced, "I'm going to find the worm who did this and kill him!"

The two wizards were gone from Godric's Hollow mere moments later as the first Aurors arrived on the scene, called by petrified neighbours.

*(+++++)*

November 1, 1981 Little Whinging, Surrey

In the darkest morning hours of a quiet English community, a stern witch waited for a wizard to appear. When the flamboyantly dressed figure appeared, they argued briefly before a third magical person, a half-giant on a flying motorcycle arrived to hand over a baby wrapped in a blanket. The child slept without stirring thanks to the spell cast on him by Sirius Black.

The witch asked, "Is that James's son? He looks nothing like him! Where's the messy hair?"

"He is young and takes after Lily's side of the family," Dumbledore explained the witch's questions away.

"And he'll be safe here with his family…"

*(+++++)*

November 1, 1981 Godric's Hollow Remus Lupin

It was midmorning when a wizard apparated into the village of Godric's Hollow near the outskirts of town. Using a crude map on the back of a letter, he started making his way toward the centre of the village. He was dressed in old but clean robes. His boots were worn but polished and bright.

But after only a minute in the village, his senses warned him of danger – the smell of blood and smoke lingered in the air. Remus Lupin cautiously approached the houses where a few of the inhabitants stood while discussing the previous night's events.

A middle-aged woman said, "There was a loud bang just after eleven! Then parts of the roof fell in my yard."

"You're lucky," stated an older man. "The back porch at Lavenia's place was smashed into her kitchen. Everyone was in bed but there's big mess there."

"What happened?" asked Remus.

The locals turned to the stranger and the older man explained, "Something happened at the Potter house last night. Lily and James are both dead."

"What about Harry?" the stranger continued with his question.

"Who?"

"Harry – their little boy – what happened to him?"

The first woman looked startled, "The Potters didn't have a baby."

A teenager from the side of the yard said, "Yeah, they did. I've seen a kid a couple times now."

"They never said anything!" insisted the woman, who looked back toward the house with the hole in the roof. "I saw the Aurors take out two bodies but not a child…"

As a group, everyone approached the Auror standing guard in front of the house and asked about the child.

"What makes you think the Potters had a kid?" the man asked brusquely.

"This guy said they did," the older man said, pointing at Remus.

"And Ned Jones said they did…" the woman interjected before the Auror could question the stranger.

The teenager nodded and explained, "I saw Mrs. Potter walking around with him in the backyard the other day. When she saw me, she went into the house and James came out, but I ran away."

"Describe the child," ordered the Auror.

"Small, black hair, laughing…"

The Auror turned to the wizard in worn robes. "How do you know about this?"

"I was invited to come today… to babysit Harry while Lily, James and Sirius were busy with something for… for the fight against You-Know-Who."

"Got any proof?" the Auror asked, stepping closer to the wizard with the strange story.

"Yes," Remus replied. "I have a letter from James in my pocket inviting me here today."

"Pull it out slowly," the Auror ordered as Remus did just that and handed over the folded piece of parchment without the slip of paper that had held the secret of the fidelius charm.

The neighbours only heard bits and pieces as the Auror mumbled through the letter, "Dear Remus… Long time no talk… Need your help urgently… first of November… stay with Harry… entire day… Lily, Sirius and I gone…"

The Auror used his wand and made a copy of the letter but returned the original to Remus.

"There was no sign a child or a child's body in the house," the Auror reported. "There was a nursery with lots of new furniture and clothes… Lots of unopened gifts in the closet…"

"Come on," the older man said to Remus. He'd noticed the look of sadness on the man's face. "Let me buy you a pint and give you a minute to collect yourself."

While in the local pub, news came that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord. No one knew if Black had the child or not and the locals shuddered to think that another innocent had been taken by the Dark Lord and his minions.

After the pint and the terrible news, Remus Lupin walked out of the pub and away from Godric's Hollow.

"I never would have believed Padfoot would betray… But then I never would have thought that Prongs and Padfoot would drop me after graduation…"

His steps ceased for a moment.

"They kept Peter but dropped me…"

Of the four marauders, Remus was the one to write the term papers and create the revision notes that kept the other three in school. James was a natural at practical transfiguration but crap at theory.

"They helped me with my 'furry little problem' and I helped them graduate from Hogwarts. But then they forgot me after that last train ride to London…"

The werewolf growled deep in his throat and apparated away. He had school work for university classes to complete.

*(+++++)*

In the Daily Prophet the next day, a reporter shared the news that the Boy-Who-Lived had been placed with someone who would keep him safe. The article quoted Dumbledore's words, '**We all owe James and Lily Potter so much! Let's be glad the Boy-Who-Lived will be raised safely**.'

*(+++++)*

November 3, 1981 Longbottom Grange

Alistair Moody frowned. He'd castrate someone in the Auror department for this mix-up. The alarms from Longbottom Grange blared for ten minutes that the home was under attack before anyone noticed. He'd apparated in with three Aurors and they'd battled the four Deatheaters for the next ten minutes until he'd seen the bodies of Frank and Alice still twitching – they weren't dead. Then he switched to the unforgivables and other dark spells – Proudfoot followed him with the adjustment in spell selection and helped lay the four attackers on the floor.

Seizing their wands, portkeys, rings and money bags from the Deatheaters, Alistair sent messages to St. Mungo's for help as well as to his boss, Barty Crouch for more help. After he removed the masks of the attackers, he began cursing and hoped that his boss was too busy to come any time soon.

Dowager Lady Longbottom was located, unconscious at the front door. The toddler – Norris or Neville – was under the care of house elves in his nursery. Moody hoped Frank and Alice would recover – Magical Britain had paid the price of surviving a Dark Lord.

*(+++++)*

November 3, 1981 Sirius Black

Barty Crouch watched a crack team of Hit Wizards surround and overpower the Deatheater Sirius Black.

"_How did I not see that he was a Deatheater? How long has he been betraying my Aurors to the damn Dark Lord?"_ Crouch asked himself as another team of wizards obliviated the memory of the battle between Black and Pettigrew. The blast from one of the wizards had destroyed the street and killed a dozen muggles.

"_Dumbledore said that Black betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord."_ His brow winkled as Crouch thought for a moment but then smoothed as he came to a decision.

"_Straight to Azkaban for you Sirius Black. No need to hear your Dark Lord drivel at the ministry… I'll just file the paperwork in the wrong folder…"_

*(+++++)*

Page 13


	3. Chapter 3

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

It's ten years later and Hagrid collected Harry Potter and brought him to Gringotts. But the goblins discover that the boy this isn't the child of James and Lily Potter.

Chapter 3: Harry Comes to Gringotts

Harry Potter struggled to keep up with the giant man's long steps as they crossed the alley from the Leaky Cauldron to the white building with the funny guards at the door. This morning's trip by portkey to London had been fun and seeing the different costumes on 'wizards and witches' made Diagon Alley appear to be Halloween in the summertime.

"This's Gringotts Bank and it's run by goblins," Hagrid explained to the small boy as he motioned toward the tall white marble building. "They're mighty fierce warriors so mind your manners."

"Wizards have warriors as bankers?" asked Harry before he nodded. "No one's going to rob them…"

The goblin guard to the boy's right listened carefully to their words but the only reaction he had to the conversation was for his fingers to tighten around the shaft of his spear.

Inside the bank, Hagrid led Harry to a queue where they waited behind two wizards. Harry noticed the two men kept turning their heads around and sneering at the giant man; they wrinkled their noses as if there was an offensive odour in the air.

The first wizard acidly commented, "It's bad enough to have to deal with creatures for my galleons, but they let 'those people' in too."

The second wizard said, "Creatures, mudbloods and half-bloods everywhere! Magical Britain is collapsing with holes in all the potion cauldrons."

Harry wondered what the man meant by 'creatures, mudbloods and half-bloods', but he didn't ask; years with the Dursleys taught him to listen carefully but not draw attention.

Finally, the goblin at the desk provided the first wizard with the coins he requested. The wizard left without saying 'Thank you', which Harry thought was exceedingly rude.

The second wizard stepped up to the high counter, made a quiet request and became angry when the goblin announced, "Return tomorrow, wizard. Thus far, your mother-in-law has not returned the contract and won't give you title to the house."

"But…" the second wizard stammered. Harry noticed the man's right arm twitched but stopped as two goblin guards each took a step forward from the walls.

"You must deliver that property title tomorrow, goblin! I must settle a debt!" the wizard swore before he turned, attempted to push Hagrid aside but with the giant's great weight, the angry wizard was thrust in the opposite direction, lost his balance, and fell to the marble floor. No one spoke to the wizard as he rose and stomped through the door, back to the street of Diagon Alley.

Harry peered around the room; no one paid any attention or at least they didn't give any clues they saw the wizard's rude comment and fall to the floor.

"Next…" called the clerk from his chair behind the high desk.

Hagrid smiled and whispered, "I've brought young Harry Potter here to get some money out of his vault and to retrieve something for Professor Dumbledore from vault 463."

The clerk peered over the desk at Harry who smiled briefly and bobbed his head in recognition of the goblin's attention.

"Do you have the vault keys?"

Hagrid paused for a moment before replying, "Right here… somewhere…"

The goblin, Griphook by name, watched as the giant man began to pull bags of water chestnuts, smashed boxes of ginger biscuits, and jugs of fire whiskey from his many pockets and hand them to the small human child at his side. The goblin's eyes grew narrow as he watched the giant and the child carefully. Items fell from the child's arms and covered the floor around the two of them.

When a rune on his desk glowed and a second layer of debris began to cover the lobby's marble floor, Griphook ordered, "Hold! Let me show you to a room where you can divest yourself of your belongings in privacy and search for the keys."

The giant agreed quickly, "That's a good idea. Thank ye!"

Stuffing all his belongings back into his bottomless pockets, the giant turned to Harry and said, "Well then, Harry, come along and we'll find your key."

While the goblin made the offer for a private room, and Hagrid repacked his pockets, Harry noticed that more goblin guards entered the lobby and took up positions immediately behind Hagrid and himself.

A Private Room

Hagrid followed the first goblin, with Harry in tow, and the boy kept an eye the extra guards come with them down the hallway. The motley group proceeded down a flight of steep stairs – Hagrid holding on to the railings to keep from tumbling over his large feet on the narrow goblin steps – then turned two corners along a hallway carved from the stone underneath London. Finally, Griphook stopped before a large door – tall enough for Hagrid to step through without bending over – and led them inside. There were torches on the walls to light the room, but Harry noticed there was no smoke or smell from the fuel. Along the far wall, there was a long mirror with a desk and chairs before it.

"Use the table there," Griphook motioned toward a long table in the centre of the room. Hagrid casually unpacked his pockets once again and after about five minutes, Harry watched another door inside the room open and a single goblin appeared; this one older but he quickly crossed the floor to sit in a chair behind the desk. All the while, Hagrid kept pulling items from his pockets and placing them on the table.

"Now where did you come from?" the giant-sized man asked a small hedgehog that he carefully returned to one of his pockets.

Harry moved quietly to the edge of the table and checked the heavy table cloth; he'd learned long ago when trouble began he could slip underneath large tables and hide from his relatives in the centre of the table. Unable to catch Hagrid's attention, Harry feared the giant man hadn't noticed the four guards with spears that followed them into the room or the other goblin seated at the desk.

"Here it is!" Hagrid announced triumphantly, holding up a small golden key. He turned to Griphook and said, "This's Harry's key."

Handing this first key over to the goblin, Hagrid continued his search for the second key. Harry watched Griphook exam the golden key for a moment before walking to the desk and handing it to the older goblin, bowing and then stepping back beside the giant. After another five minutes of searching, Hagrid sighed. "I must've lost Dumbledore's key…"

Harry watched all the goblins from beside Hagrid and he saw the old goblin behind the desk nod at Griphook. The goblin who'd escorted them into the depths of Gringotts tilted his chin up slightly and asked, "Rubeus Hagrid, did you come to rob Gringotts?"

The giant was startled by the question and turned toward Griphook and replied, "No sir! I'm a honest wizard, I am! I ain't never robbed nobody! I just brought Harry Potter to Gringotts to gets some of his money and buy his things for Hogwarts."

"Rubeus Hagrid!" called the goblin from behind the desk. "You don't have the key to vault 463 for Dumbledore's treasure but you do have a key to the trust vault for Harry Potter."

"Yes sir," Hagrid replied with a smile.

The old goblin paused for a moment but then pointed at the child and asked, "Well, who is this and where is Harry Potter?"

*(+++++)*

Page 7


	4. Chapter 4

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The goblins discuss what to do with the false Harry Potter. Ironstream summons the former account manager for the Potter accounts and learns of the dark plotting of James and Lily Potter. And he learns that James Potter planned to blood adopt an orphan in the future.

Chapter 4: Who is This Boy?

Harry froze in place, his eyes glancing about for places to hide. Hagrid's face grew confused.

"But this is Harry Potter. Dumbledore gave me a portkey to where he was last night… His aunt said this was Harry… It t'eren't the other boy… That one's too much like a pig…"

Now Hagrid pointed at Harry and said, "And he looks just like his Da, 'cepting his green eyes from his Mum…"

"So, you confirm that Albus Dumbledore told you this was Harry Potter," asked Griphook while pointing at the boy.

Hagrid nodded congenially.

The goblin continued, "And the headmaster sent you to collect the alleged Mr. Potter, take money from the Potter heir's vault, and buy the boy's school supplies?"

Again, Hagrid nodded, and the goblin sighed. He tapped his fingers on the desktop for a moment. From the side of the room, Griphook asked, "Mr. Hagrid, can you write a note to Mr. Dumbledore to come and clear up this confusion? While we wait, we will be glad to offer you refreshments…"

The goblin behind the desk asked, "Or perhaps Hagrid would like to view our collection of dragons?"

"You've dragons here?" asked Hagrid with obvious excitement. "I'd love t' see your dragons!"

The old goblin motioned toward the door, "Griphook take Mr. Hagrid to see our dragons. He can assist the keepers with feeding time this afternoon."

In his excitement to see dragons, Hagrid forgot about the request to write a letter, but he did remember the young boy he'd brought to Gringotts for a moment.

"Now Harry, you wait here. I'll be back in an hour or two and we'll get it all worked out then…" Without another word, the door closed behind the giant; he was gone with Griphook and the four guards leaving 'Harry' alone with the old goblin.

Taking a deep breath, Harry asked, "Please sir, can you tell me what is going on?"

The old goblin raised one eye brow and asked, "What is your name, young wizard?"

Harry froze for a long moment before answering, "When I started school, my teacher told me my name was Harry James Potter."

"Your teacher told you your name?" the confusion in the goblins question apparent. "Why did teachers have to tell you what your name was?"

"My aunt and uncle called me…" he paused and swallowed. "They call me 'freak' and 'boy'."

The old goblin was lost in thought for a moment before he motioned the child to his desk and said, "Why don't you come sit here? We can talk and have tea."

"Alright…" Harry said, looking about before asking, "Where's the kitchen?"

The goblin frowned. "Why do you want the kitchen?"

"I'm supposed to make the tea," replied Harry carefully as though he feared punishment.

"Make the tea?" The goblin tilted his head to one side and asked, "Why would you…"

Harry blushed, "I do the cooking. Aunt Petunia says the smell of the gas stove gives her a headache. And they leave me alone so long as I get the cooking done."

"I see," the goblin said slowly. "Well, at Gringotts we have house elves who make our tea and bring it to us. That makes them very happy. Today, you don't have to make the tea."

The goblin didn't smile; too many sharp teeth were involved with a goblin's smile, but he continued his explanation saying, "My name is Ironstream and I am the account manager for the Potter vaults. When Griphook brought you into this room, the walls should have displayed the Potter family crest and a box with the heir's ring would have appeared on my desk."

The goblin sighed, "But it didn't."

"So, who am I?" the boy asked, looking lost while the goblin again motioned toward the chair.

"We shall discover who you are shortly. Now, sit and tell me about how you came to be here today…"

A large tray appeared in front of Harry with a pot of tea, cream, and sugar, a plate of assorted biscuits, and glass of milk. There was another tray in front of the goblin with a tea pot of a different shape and biscuits of a different shape and colour. The smell of the hot tea and biscuits drew the hungry child toward the desk as the goblin explained, "Your tray has a traditional English tea and my tray has goblin tea that's made from different plants. Now pour a cup, eat some biscuits, and tell me how you met Rubeus Hagrid."

Harry did pour himself a cup of tea, but it was mostly cream with two sugars. As he sipped from the cup, the boy explained about the letters from Hogwarts, the Dursleys trip across the country, and the late-night visit to the small cabin on the island by the half-giant. He ate three of the delicious short bread biscuits and slipped two more into his pocket for supper.

Noticing the biscuits disappearing, the goblin made no comment but waited patiently for the boy to finish the cup that had been coated with a child's dose of the truth serum brewed by the potion masters at Gringotts.

Once the cup was empty, the boy's eyes clouded over quickly, and the questions began.

"What is your name?" Ironstream asked clearly without any malice or anger in his voice.

"Harry James Potter. My aunt calls me 'Boy'. My uncle and cousin call me 'Freak'."

"Where do you live?"

"No.4 Privet Drive, Little Whining, Surrey."

"Who do you live with?

"My aunt, Petunia Dursley."

"How is she your guardian?"

"My mother was her sister." The boy hesitated for a moment but then added, "I was told my mother was her sister."

"Who else lives there?

"Vernon Dursley and my cousin Dudley Dursley."

"And this Vernon is your uncle?"

"Yes."

"How do they treat you?"

Due to the effects of the potion, the boy didn't hesitate to detail the abuse, neglect and workload he was subject to each day. They discussed food, school, bedrooms, clothes and holidays.

At that point, the goblin asked. "Did your aunt ever tell you about your mother – about her sister – Lily Evans?"

"No sir. Hagrid told me the names of my parents last night – James Potter was my father and Lily Potter was my mother… I thought…" Harry replied, the potion making him speak the truth but now he wasn't sure what the truth was.

"Finish your biscuits, Harry. And drink the glass of milk," instructed the goblin. After the boy drank the entire glass of milk with the potion antidote, the goblin rose from his chair.

"I shall step out of the room for a moment and when I return, we will find out who you are."

Harry's stomach felt full after the wonderful tea, biscuits and milk. The room was quiet and warm, so he quickly fell asleep in the comfortable chair.

*(+++++)*

Revelation

In the next room, Ironstream, stood before the one-way glass, staring at the child. Behind him two other goblins waited quietly.

"Well, this deepens the Potter mystery," said the taller goblin, Fourclaws.

"Deepens? That's what you think this is?" asked the third goblin, Steeltoe. "We had a lead on the Potter heir for the first time in ten years but now magic doesn't recognize him! The giant clearly said that Dumbledore – may that wizard's gold vanish and his magic whither into darkness – sent him to this boy. Dumbledore sent an imposter into Gringotts knowing full well what we would do to the giant and to the boy for attempting to steal gold from a vault!"

Ironstream asked, "Do you think Dumbledore will come if we send a letter that the giant has lost the key to the other vault?"

"He'll be suspicious!" declared Fourclaws. "He knows we've wanted an excuse to question him for decades about the Dark Lord sudden disappearance that night in '81."

"Dumbledore doesn't understand the need to increase the amount of gold in a vault," Steeltoe complained. "He only knows how to spend other people's galleons…"

The three goblins grinned at each other for a moment but then Ironstream returned to his original problem – who was the boy?

"We could perform a heritage test," suggested Steeltoe. "The boy is magical… he could be the missing heir of Gryffindor."

"Only in the story books sold at the stores," replied Fourclaws. "We could just throw him to the dragons like they are doing with the giant."

Ironstream sniffed and reminded the other two goblins, "When necessary, we make war on adult wizards and witches – but never children!"

He flicked a claw at Fourclaws and said, "Fetch the materials. We will perform the test while the boy sleeps."

*(+++++)*

While they waited for Fourclaws to provide the items needed to perform the heritage spell, Ironstream continued to stare at the sleeping boy. His thoughts turned over and over with everything he knew about Dumbledore and that wizard's machinations during the past fifty years.

"There's something we're missing here!" the old dwarf said aloud.

Steeltoe quickly reviewed the information, the facts as it were, "Albus Dumbledore sent his grounds keeper to introduce Harry Potter to the magical world after living with muggles for ten years. Rubeus Hagrid brought the boy, who he thought was Harry Potter, to Diagon Alley to purchase his school supplies. Gringotts discovers the boy is not Harry Potter and disposes of the giant and the boy. Dumbledore knows this!"

*(+++++)*

Far from London, in the Scottish hills, lay Hogwarts Castle, the location of the only approved school of magic in Great Britain. In a tall tower, the headmaster, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore waited patiently in his office for news to arrive from Gringotts.

In his mind, Dumbledore practiced his speech for the press tomorrow, _'I was rightfully horrified when I was told that the boy was not the true heir of James Potter!'_

And once the hubbub and shouting died down, he would claim the entire estate as the executor of the will of James Potter – wherever it might be and despite whatever it might say to the contrary. When he announced that the goblins must have killed the real Harry Potter, the Wizengamot would rise and follow his lead in declaring the goblins to be in revolt.

Glancing at the shadows on the wall in his office, he realized it was time for lunch and Hagrid's adventure into Gringotts must be afoot. Rising from his chair, Dumbledore ignored the silence from the phoenix, the annoying questions from the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses to begin his climb down from his tower to join the staff in the Great Hall for luncheon.

*(+++++)*

Page 11


	5. Chapter 5

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Here Sowsbreath reveals how Lily Potter came to record her secrets in a journal and Hagrid's fate in the dungeons of Gringotts is revealed.

Chapter 5: A Secret Journal

Ironstream turned to Steeltoe and said, "Summon Sowsbreath from his grotto."

"Sowsbreath? The old Potter account manager?"

"Yes, I know who he is… or was…" Ironstream replied sarcastically. "I have been the account manager for the Potter estates for ten years. When the Potters were killed, and their 'named' heir vanished, the review board at Gringotts retired Sowsbreath without any notice to Dumbledore."

"Did they fear Dumbledore had bribed the old goblin manager?"

"There is always that fear when something catastrophic occurs," answered the older goblin. "And the board still encourages me to use every delaying tactic possible to thwart the headmaster's attempts to plunder any part of the estate."

Ironstream frowned, "Now, summon Sowsbreath!"

It was less than ten minutes before the door opened with Fourclaws carrying the items needed to perform the heritage test and he was followed by a truly ancient goblin who used a cane to keep himself steady.

"Finally! After ten years, you summon me," Sowsbreath announced coldly. "All these years, I have wanted to talk to you, Ironstream!"

"The rules of engagement with the wizards declared that I not be prejudiced by rumours and gossip. Your silence was required to prove your innocence of any collusion with Dumbledore," Ironstream replied. "I have danced around the headmaster for ten years and limited his thefts to less than thirty thousand galleons."

"Most excellent!" replied Sowsbreath. "But how do you expect to stop him from claiming the entire fortune when the Wizengamot learns there is no heir to the Potter name?"

"How do you know this?" demanded Ironstream. "I only learned this morning the boy known as Harry Potter is not the true heir by blood."

Grinning from ear to ear, Sowsbreath said, "Who brought the child imposter to Gringotts? Did he send McGonagall or Flitwick? There will be a spectacular battle with either of those powerful magic wielders before they are fed to the dragons!"

Imaging the ancient goblin's thoughts, Ironstream glared at the ancient goblin before he answered, "It was the half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid."

The ancient goblin nodded, "Ah… Dumbledore doesn't lose a valuable knight or a rook; he merely sacrifices a pawn."

"Exactly the reason I hesitate to denounce the child as a fraud," Ironstream admitted. "There's the feel of duplicity here."

"Everything that Dumbledore touches is awash in lies and misinformation!" Sowsbreath interjected.

"So, what is the truth?" asked Ironstream.

The ancient goblin withdrew a leather-bound book from an inside pocket of his robes. "I have the journal of Lady Lily Potter here with all the secrets."

"How do you have that journal? Why is not in the Potter vault?" queried Ironstream angrily. "All Potter items are to be locked in the vault! Dumbledore made off with the cloak of invisibility and the pensive before I could lock him out!"

Sowsbreath smiled again, "When James Potter announced his engagement to Lily Evans, Lady Euphemia Potter charged me to procure a pair of charmed diaries. She gave one to her future daughter-in-law and kept the other. Everything that Lily Evans wrote in her journal appeared in the copy her future mother-in-law held. In later conversations, Lady Euphemia Potter informed me that she was pleased with the girl's revelations of truly loving James and wanting to support the Potter family traditions."

"Euphemia and Fleamont Potter died in a Deatheater attack just days after the wedding," Ironstream stated.

Sowsbreath nodded before explaining, "As the Potter account manager, I transferred the title, vaults, and estate to James Potter. During the recovery of personal items at the manor house, I removed the journal from Lady Potter's effects. I read it to gain perspective on the muggleborn witch who had just gained great power in the wizard's world."

"And what did you learn?"

"The copy in Lily's possession compelled her to write her thoughts and plans as a record of her marriage."

Ironstream didn't comment but motioned for Sowsbreath to continue, "Within three months of the wedding, Lily and James knew they were both incapable of producing a child – previous battles with Deatheaters left James sterile and Lily's womb damaged beyond repair."

"They came to Gringotts and made deposits of their blood which we've kept in stasis to be able to blood adopt a child when they were ready."

*(+++++)*

Hagrid's Fate

The door of the conference room burst open and a goblin ran to Ironstream with an unexpected report, "Sir, the half-giant… the dragons love him! They didn't attack and eat him but let him feed them sheep carcasses. None of our handlers were burned today!"

The face of every goblin in the room was slack with shock – no one could approach the Gringotts dragons with impunity!

Steeltoe and Fourclaws were the first to chuckle but soon Ironstream and Sowsbreath joined them in laughing at the idea of Dumbledore's pawn surviving the trip to the dragon pens below Gringotts.

"Do you think we could tempt Hagrid to switch his employment to Gringotts? We must offer him the position of dragon keeper," suggested Ironstream. "I understand there are four eggs that will hatch soon, and he could imprint on the hatchlings…"

*(+++++)*

Page 6


	6. Chapter 6

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The story continues with the goblins discussing the plotting by the Potters, the plan for a blood adoption at a later date, and the true origin of the child now known as Harry Potter.

Chapter 6: Goblin Blood Magic

With the fate of the half-giant resolved for the moment, the goblins returned to the discussion of the journal.

Sowsbreath revealed the dark secret he'd hidden for ten years, "Lily and James Potter plotted to end the Dark Lord and were willing to sacrifice an innocent child to accomplish this deed."

But Ironstream was not listening and mused aloud, "So, the Potters knew they would never have an heir. Did they look for a distant cousin somewhere else in the world to be adopted?"

"No," Sowsbreath explained patiently. "I just told you they intended to blood adopt a magical orphan after killing the Dark Lord."

Ironstream turned to Sowsbreath, a look of surprize on his face. "Forgive me for not listening. Are you certain? They wanted a blood adoption… Most purebloods do not believe the ritual is truly a 'blood' adoption."

The ancient goblin nodded, "But the ritual performed in Gringotts is better than the one used by wizards – we replace all material of the original parents with the blood of the new parents. The ritual is already paid for and the Potters each had a litre of blood drawn and placed in stasis in their vault."

"So, they realized that they were mortal and could die in the fight."

Sowsbreath nodded. "They had a plan to kill the Dark Lord. And if they perished, James Potter left instructions to blood adopt an orphan when a suitable child was found."

"That is very farsighted for a wizard," Ironstream commented.

The older goblin smirked. "It was a convoluted plan and Potter recognized the danger of working with Albus Dumbledore to end the war."

"Everything Dumbledore touches is complicated and convoluted!" Ironstream nodded. "James and Lily Potter believed everything that Dumbledore said."

"That wizard's farts are not perfume!" cursed Steeltoe and the other goblins snorted in agreement.

"Forget about Dumbledore for the moment!" demanded Sowsbreath. "In her journal, Lily Potter wrote about a prophecy given to Dumbledore. There was something about a wizard who could vanquish the Dark Lord would be a child born at the end of July to parents who had battled the Dark Lord," Sowsbreath explained.

Seeing the other goblins did not understand, the former Potter account manager continued saying, "Frank and Alice Longbottom were expecting a son at the end of July 1980. Dumbledore told the two couples that this child would be the one to end Voldemort's terrible reign."

"A baby?" asked Steeltoe. "How would a baby defeat the Dark Lord?"

"That's how Dumbledore interpreted the prophecy."

"But what about every other child born in late July since the current calendar began being used?" asked Ironstream, exhausted by the stupidity of British wizards.

Sowsbreath pointed to the journal and explained, "To protect the Longbottom child, the Potters announced the birth of their own child the day following the birth of the Longbottom's child; they intended to lead the Dark Lord into an attack against them. They would set a trap to kill the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, save the Longbottom baby, and then continue with their lives."

"Lily wrote that they would to spend a year or two 'mourning' the death of their first child and then blood adopt a magical child as the Potter heir."

*(+++++)*

Sacrifices

Motioning toward the sleeping child in the other room, Steeltoe asked, "How did this innocent become involved in this mess?"

Sowsbreath returned to his narrative, "For twelve months, the Potters spread the tale of their son – Sirius Black lied as well and went so far as to file the papers with the Ministry and with Gringotts to be the child's godfather… The child is remembered in Black's will according to Lily's journal."

"Why did no one ever ask to see the child?" asked Steeltoe.

Sowsbreath snorted, "They did ask with growing frequency, but the Potters never 'showed' the child to anyone except for Sirius Black, and supposedly to Frank and Alice Longbottom. James and Lily always citied the danger of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters as the reason they'd never brought their 'son' out into public."

"Finally, in late October 1981, Dumbledore told them that his spy in the Dark Lords circles reported that the Dark Lord would attack them the first evening following All Hallows Eve."

The other goblins were quiet until Steeltoe asked, "And they really were going to sacrifice an innocent child to kill the Dark Lord?"

Sowsbreath nodded. "In the journal, Lily Potter writes that she created a spell to overwhelm all the Dark Lord's protections and rituals. The spell was extremely powerful but to invoke it required the sacrifice of two lives. Their intention was to be absent from home that night, leaving the child and an unprepared caretaker as the two sacrifices."

"The last entry in the journal is from the afternoon of Halloween. The Potters had completed the spells and only waited for the friend to arrive the next day – someone named 'Moony'. Sirius and James were friends with the wizard while at Hogwarts but dropped the connexion after graduation. Lily writes that the baby was quiet and well-behaved, so she expected no problems for the friend to be relaxed when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named 'came to call'."

Ironstream frowned, "But the Dark Lord came a day early and killed the Potters in the cottage that night. There's no way to know if Dumbledore had a hand in their sacrifice by not giving them the correct date, or if it was purely chance that sent the Dark Lord a day early."

"The ministry report states that James Potter died first and then Lily Potter was killed in the nursery. Dumbledore influenced the report to say that it was when the Dark Lord cast the killing curse on the baby that the spell flew back and killed him instead. But from the plans included in her journal, Lily Potter wrote the second death would invoke the spell; the Dark Lord never cast a spell at the child."

"And the scar on the child's forehead?"

"Possibly from debris falling from the explosion."

*(+++++)*

More Sacrifices

"Who is the boy then?" Ironstream asked. "She must have written about where they obtained… stole a baby to sacrifice."

Sowsbreath grimaced, "In the middle of October 1981, the McKinnon family home was attacked and wiped out."

"That was a Deatheater attack! The child would not have survived!" insisted Steeltoe.

"It only appeared as an attack by the Deatheaters," the ancient goblin explained. "Listed among the victims was a one-year old infant named Henry McKinnon."

Fourclaws frowned. "Wait! That child's mother was Olivia Ogden! The next week, her father made speeches in the Wizengamot blaming Gringotts for the McKinnon massacre!"

"Do you mean that child is Standish Ogden's grandson?" exclaimed Ironstream. "The wizard who hates all goblins!"

"There has been never a wizard who hated goblins more than Standish Ogden. Everyone of his speeches and articles in the Daily Prophet demand that wizards exterminate all goblins in Britain. He continually preaches about the evils of goblins!" declared Steeltoe.

Holding up a hand for silence, Ironstream asked, "Sowsbreath, is there any way that Gringotts could restore the grandson to Standish Ogden without him accusing us of participating in the murders of the McKinnon family and kidnapping of the child?"

The ancient goblin shook his head, "Nothing we could ever say would reconcile that mind-blind wizard to the possibility that Gringotts could do his family a kindness."

"But Gringotts will not harm an innocent!" insisted Ironstream.

Remembering what Sowsbreath said just moments before about the Deatheater attack, he asked, "Wait… Do you suspect the Potters of the massacre?"

Nodding, Sowsbreath added, "Not suspect – know. It's documented in the journal. Lily wrote that she and James wanted their manipulation to go beyond anything Dumbledore had ever accomplished."

Disgusted, Steeltoe said, "Apparently, the 'light' wasn't above using Deatheater tactics to get their way when they thought it necessary."

"How could they do this? Does she record that in her journal?"

Sowsbreath again nodded, "She mentions 'Padfoot' providing them with the information on a child. This is Sirius Black again, the best friend of James Potter and the heir to the Black family name. He'd just been dumped by a girl – Nancy McKinnon – who refused to continue a relationship after Black declined to propose marriage. She said some nasty things about him to his friends and Black wanted revenge. He provided details on the child, on the location of the McKinnon home and the wards protecting it. He even drew a map of the rooms. The wizard pointed Lily to the infant in his bed while helping James to seal the floo, windows and doors before igniting the fire."

"So why did Dumbledore condemn him to Azkaban without a trial?"

Sowsbreath rubbed his chin for a moment and then explained, "I'd speculate that Black would have inherited the Potter estate if there wasn't a child. Dumbledore sealed the wills and appointed himself magical guardian of the child. He thought to loot the vaults or inherit them today after Gringotts executes the child for attempted theft. Sirius Black knew there wasn't a child from the bodies of James and Lily Potter, and he should inherit…"

The goblin paused and closed the journal.

"Dumbledore was very quick to blame the Potters' deaths on Black; something about him being a secret Deatheater who betrayed their secret location to the Dark Lord."

"But, I don't think Dumbledore knew the complete story," Sowsbreath said. "Lily only wrote that Dumbledore knew they planned to lure the Dark Lord to his death. He knew nothing of the real child or their part in the McKinnon massacre."

"So, James, his wife and his friend were caught off guard by a change in the Dark Lord's plans?" asked Ironstream.

"Remember, James and Lily weren't to be at home," Sowsbreath said as he nodded. "The other friend named as 'Moony' in the journal, was to mind the child for the day while the Potters and Black were away on the evening of 1 November. This wizard had not been in contacted by Potter or Black for over a year. They wrote him several letters in the week before their deaths and apparently, the wizard was pleased to be invited back into their circle of friends."

"The day after the attack in Godric's Hollow, Dumbledore was heard around the ministry talking about how he'd saved the 'boy-who-lived'," Steeltoe said.

"So Black is locked up in Azkaban and out of Dumbledore's way… where is this other friend?" asked Ironstream.

"He vanished into the muggle world and was never even questioned."

"A loose end… that's not like Dumbledore," Ironstream observed.

"The wizard might have realized the betrayal and run," Steeltoe said with a shrug.

Sowsbreath asked, "What happened to the McKinnon wealth?"

Fourclaws frowned and explained, "Ogden managed assumed control of the McKinnon estate and of course, he withdrew all the gold and property contracts from management by Gringotts. We've picked up most of the properties for other accounts when they come up for auction and his home has been robbed several times with more and more gold disappearing. He'll be destitute in a few years but Gringotts has done nothing to bring this about!"

*(+++++)*

Page 11


	7. Chapter 7

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Ironstream discusses the blood adoption with Harry and then Harry sees a Healer. During the exam, the famous scar on Harry's forehead is examined closely. Finally, the goblins perform the blood adoption and Harry really becomes the Harry James Potter.

Chapter 7: Decision

Ironstream considered his problems aloud, "I have a child who has no name… a vast estate that might fall into the hands of a grasping, old wizard who has ruined many lives… An unknown grandfather who is just as bad…"

"The boy is awake," Sowsbreath informed the other goblins who watched the wizard child silently for a moment.

Then Ironstream asked, "Who from the medical offices is the best healer to deal with young wizards?"

"The witch Felicity Grossman," replied Steeltoe immediately. "She oversees orientation for all new human employees."

Ironstream snorted and pointed at the mirror, "He's eleven years old and not an employee."

"She's the closest expert we'd have without taking the risk of drawing attention…"

"Very well… Summon Healer Grossman and tell her we need a confidential examination."

*(+++++)*

Harry rose from his chair when the door opened and the goblin Ironstream returned to the room.

"Excuse me sir, can I use the loo?" he asked, the urgency evident in his voice and stance.

The goblin looked surprized for only a moment but then waved his hand and another door appeared. "Each conference room at Gringotts has a water closet but the door is usual disillusioned."

While Harry made use of the facilities, Ironstream came to his decision. Wizards were a despicable race – plotting Dumbledore, evil James and Lily Potter, and prejudiced Samuel Ogden – none of them deserved a kind thought. Dumbledore and Ogden were old but not buried just yet – perhaps the goblins could push them along to their graves. The Potters were dead, but they'd left the means for the goblins to continue the Potter name.

Glancing at the closed door, Ironstream decided the boy deserved a better life and Gringotts could give it to him by following the wishes of their dead clients – they planned to blood adopt an orphan – why not this magical child?

When the boy returned, a tentative smile on his face, the goblin asked, "So Mr. Potter, did you have a nice nap?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied with some confusion. The goblins had insisted that he wasn't Harry 'Potter' before his nap.

"Does Hagrid… Is Hagrid going to come back soon? I need to get back to Surrey. My aunt and uncle are going to be angry…"

"More angry than usual?"

"Well, Hagrid waved his umbrella at Dudley and left him with a pig's tail on his bottom…"

The goblin laughed, and he was glad to see the boy grin as well. "I think Hagrid is going to be very busy for the rest of the day – the dragons like him very much and he's helping care for them."

"Oh…" replied the boy's with evident confusion.

"But you are safe here at Gringotts and we will see about getting you supplies and things for school. I believe you will stay here until September when you leave for Hogwarts."

"Okay," Harry replied quickly and then thought about what the goblin had just said. "I promise I will work very hard at every chore you give me!"

The goblin kept his face impassive, but he growled inside – a child overworked and not allowed to learn angered him greatly. For the same child to be abused as well was over the limit he could stand. Ironstream directed the conversation along by saying, "Now, remember we were talking about how it didn't appear that you were the son of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes sir," Harry agreed.

"Well, we have proof that the Potters wanted to use magic to adopt a child and make him their real baby. They selected you, but they weren't able to cast this magic spell before that unfortunate night where they were killed."

"Did they want me to be their son?" asked Harry.

Nodding Ironstream said, "They told everyone you were their son! Remember, they fought the Dark Lord when he came to kill you."

Harry nodded and Ironstream continued, "With magic we can perform the adoption spell and make you the son of James and Lily Potter – if you want."

"But who am I?" asked the boy.

"You've been Harry Potter for ten years," the goblin evaded the child's question. "How about staying Harry Potter for the next hundred years?"

Now the boy paused and said, "No. Not if I have to stay with the Dursleys."

Ironstream grinned, his teeth on display, "Mr. Potter, I promise with my magic, my heart and my soul, that you will not go back to those people again unless it is to see them in a courtroom when they are on trial for child abuse."

"Really?"

The goblin nodded and when Fourclaws came into the room with the inheritance test materials, he sent the items away, "We won't need those items. Once the healer completes her examination, we will begin Heir Potter's education."

*(+++++)*

Medical Exam

Healer Felicity Grossman wondered what Ironstream needed with her skillset. She enjoyed working for the goblins in Gringotts – they were not blindly prejudiced against a muggleborn witch such as herself. She enjoyed magic and it helped her survive the loss of her muggle family at the hands of the Deatheaters fifteen years earlier. She'd just completed her training at St. Mungo's with a great healer when her family was wiped out while she was on a late shift.

The head of the hospital awarded her the ministry license to practice healing in one breath and then told her there weren't any positions available at St. Mungo's. She'd never expected there to be a place for her there after graduation – she'd merely hoped to make the connections she needed with other muggleborns and half-bloods to build a practice.

The attack against her family told her she had enemies within the hospital – a place sworn to be neutral. A friend from school mentioned Gringotts and she'd spent three days in interviews with goblins and humans at the bank before she'd been hired as a healer to work with the bank's human employees.

*(+++++)*

In Ironstream's office, Felicity found four goblins; three she knew and one she didn't. It was the fifth person in the room that drew her attention immediately – a boy, probably nine or ten but poorly dressed and much too thin to be healthy.

The goblin behind the desk, Ironstream announced, "Healer Grossman, I have need of your skills."

"I am pleased to help Gringotts in any manner," she replied.

The goblin motioned toward the boy, "In strictest confidence, this young wizard requires your examination and care. Once you determine it safe, he must undergo a blood adoption today and become Harry James Potter in blood as well as in name."

Ironstream quickly discovered why the leaders of the bank thought well of this witch; she quickly set up her bag of potions and tools, her wand moving on its own in the air casting spells and charms. She'd immediately set to work while still cutting Ironstream off at the knees.

"You will not be performing any rituals until I say so!" Felicity growled. "Introduce me to a patient and try to tell me what you're going to do… Not without my approval, thank you!"

Frowning at the goblins one last time, the witch turned to the boy and flashed him a true welcoming smile. "Hello, Harry. My name is Felicity Grossman and I am your healer here in Gringotts. No one will do anything to hurt you while you are in my care; my healer's oaths make me your protector as well as your physician. You were raised among muggles I believe?"

"Yes ma'am."

"When was the last time you saw a physician or went to clinic for immunizations?"

"I've never been to the doctor," Harry explained. "My relatives said I didn't deserve…"

The healer glanced at the goblins and growled, "What are you doing standing there? Go get those muggles!"

"Healer, mind your patient!" insisted Ironstream.

Steeltoe whispered to Fourclaws, "She's been around goblins for a long time for certain. She's very protective of cubs."

Sowsbreath snorted, "Have you ever seen a mother goblin defending one of her cubs? It leaves me shaking in my boots remembering the time three thieves made it to my personal quarters in the lower chambers. By the time the guards arrived, the three wizards were without their heads or their hearts, and their intestines were strung along the walls for the guards to see. Ragnock himself came and awarded my wife and her two sisters gold for protecting the bank."

"Who dared to attempt to steal from Gringotts?" asked Steeltoe.

"They were members of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix – I believe he intended to blackmail me with any information they stole."

*(+++++)*

Felicity's examination found a child who needed a proscribed set of potions to repair some bone and tissue problems from an inadequate diet and three poorly healed bones to reset. She'd write up a plan that he could take with him to Hogwarts – he'd be eating at least four small meals each day for the next month and she'd arrange for a house elf to pop into Hogwarts every day with snacks for the boy and the elf would watch him eat them too!

Her wand stopped moving when it reached the scar on his forehead and the charms in the medical spells required her to take the wand into her hand to continue. The frown on her face deepened for a moment and then turned into surprize.

"Harry, how did you get this scar?"

"My aunt told me that I got the scar when my parents were killed in a car accident."

Felicity looked surprized again and she turned to the goblins, "Did James Potter know how to drive an automobile?"

Ironstream waved away the question, "That is the famous scar that Harry received the night the Dark Lord attempted to kill him after killing his parents."

Snorting now, she stepped close to the boy and asked, "Does the scar hurt?"

Harry nodded, "Sometimes when I have had to work really hard all day or feel sad."

"It has a lot of magic in it, but it's not Dark or Light magic… It looks like it is family magic of some kind."

"Harry is a wizard," Ironstream said to reassure the boy but Felicity waved the goblin to be quiet.

"May I look closely at your scar?" she asked and Harry nodded again. Very quickly the witch cast another spell at the scar. She moved first to the left and then to the right, as she examined what her spell revealed in the scar. Her free hand summoned a bottle of antiseptic – a muggle product – and she conjured a small cloth. After wetting the cloth, she wiped the area around Harry's scar very liberally.

"Don't let me get any in your eyes but we'll fix this scar up in just a minute," she assured the boy.

Harry sat still, the healer's hands were firm but still gentle as she moved his head around. Her eyes were bright but never angry when turned toward him. Again, her free hand summoned a pair of tweezers that she cast a sterilization spell upon and then poured more of the antiseptic over the ends.

"This might sting a little, but I should be…" Felicity spread the scar's edges slightly and the tweezers pulled something from under the skin, "…finished now."

Clasped in the ends of the tweezer was a piece of miscoloured diamond. It twinkled in the light and the healer quickly set the stone on the desk in front of Ironstream and then turned her full attention on Harry. Quickly, she closed the scar with a spell then wiped away the little bit of blood that leaked out.

*(+++++)*

Blood Adoption

Harry and Felicity turned back to the excited discussion at the desk; Ironstream, Steeltoe, Fourclaws and the fourth, unknown goblin studied the diamond shard as it floated above the desk.

"It is saturated with the Potter family magics," Ironstream said. "What artefact is it from?"

"And it's been in the boy's head for ten years!" Steeltoe interjected with some excitement in his voice.

Felicity smiled at Harry and opened her bag again; this time she withdrew a packet of biscuits that they shared.

"This is one of the snacks you'll get a couple times a day. Make certain you eat all four biscuits, even if you're full."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry agreed. "I like getting to eat."

At the desk, Ironstream turned to the ancient goblin and asked, "Do you care to speculate Sowsbreath?"

"I believe that it is a piece of Lady Potter's ring. The diamond on her ring was cracked in the attack and the heirloom will have to be repaired before the next consort wears it."

Ironstream now came around the desk to stand before Harry and asked, "Mr. Potter, do I have your permission to cast a spell on you?"

Before the boy could reply, Felicity asked, "What spell do you want to cast on my patient, Account Manager Ironstream?"

The goblin grinned and replied, "A simple finite incantum. I believe the stone has protected the boy for ten years and tried making him into a stronger Potter with the Potter family magic."

Felicity nodded and allowed the goblin to cast the spell.

Harry felt the light push of magic fall over him, but nothing changed. Felicity and the goblins watched closely as the magic dropped from head to toe on the boy and nothing in his appearance changed.

"Excellent!" announced Sowsbreath, while Steeltoe and Fourclaws were confused. Felicity was also confused but remained silent.

"I agree, most excellent!" Ironstream echoed the ancient goblin's pronouncement.

"What is excellent?" asked Felicity.

"This young man has been living with Potter Family magic for the last ten years. He looks like James Potter naturally without glamour charms or spells. The blood adoption will accept him as close family member without any problems."

"So, I'm already 'Harry Potter'?" asked Harry with some excitement in his voice.

Felicity nodded while Sowsbreath stepped forward, "Young Mr. Potter, I welcome you to Gringotts." He waved to Ironstream and said, "Your account manager is Ironstream and he has faithfully protected your vaults for the last ten years. I recommend him as your continued account manager after the blood adoption."

"Thanks," Harry said. "Uh, I'd like… I hope Ironstream wants to be my account manager for a long time to come."

Steeltoe whispered to Fourclaws, "A little disjointed but with some lessons, young Harry will do well with the purebloods."

*(+++++)*

Felicity gathered her potions and tools together while Steeltoe and Fourclaws left to prepare the ritual room for the blood adoption. Harry stood beside her asking lots of questions that she answered patiently. After a minute, she turned to Ironstream.

"Do you think it will be safe for Harry to attend Hogwarts this year? It will be at least six weeks before I can complete the regime of repairs… and a couple more months of growth would help with his stature and weight."

Ironstream stated firmly, "I shall remove Mr. Potter from Dumbledore's guardianship tonight. With your oath sealed diagnosis, Dumbledore wouldn't dare to knock over the niffler's horde – he'd be knocked from every position he holds if the public learns how the Boy-Who-Lived was treated."

The goblin looked from the healer to the boy, before he added, "But I believe he must keep to the schedule of appearing at Hogwarts on the first of September."

Felicity looked less pleased but nodded. "Well then, let's get this ritual completed so I can get him fed and put to bed before it gets too late."

*(+++++)*

In a cold chamber with runes carved into the floors, walls and ceilings, Harry was told to strip in front of a dozen goblins. He almost panicked before Felicity conjured some curtains and told him to take off all his clothes and then put on a linen shift that covered him from shoulders to toes.

She frowned at the goblins and growled, "Muggles are not free with nudity like goblins! And he's a child!"

The goblins who would perform the ritual nodded in understanding but then ordered the account mangers and the healer from the room.

"Harry, we'll be right outside the room. The goblins are not going to hurt you!" Felicity told him when he stepped from behind the curtains and she banished her conjuration.

"How long will it take?" he asked, and Felicity looked at the goblin who held a pair of containers holding blood.

"At least one hour, but no more than two," replied the goblin.

*(+++++)*

When forty-five minutes passed, the door of the chamber opened and out stepped the blood-adopted son of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Marie Potter nee Evans. He was quickly examined by Healer Grossman and then led to the dining hall where he drank two potions and ate a large dinner. Shortly thereafter, he was again taken to the infirmary where he was allowed to take a long shower with lots of hot water, and then after a final check by Healer Grossman, Harry James Potter went to bed.

And thus, 31 July 1991 ended with the 'birth' of Harry Potter.

*(+++++)*

Page 17


	8. Chapter 8

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter, Quintus Quirrell and his guest, attempt to rob Gringotts. The son of a couple who defied the Dark Lord three different times, and who was born as the seventh month dies, is in the right place to trigger the protective wards. Let's see what happens next.

Dumbledore's plans for the new school year suffer set-back after set-back.

Chapter 8: End of Tom Riddle

Once the child was settled comfortably in the infirmary for a good night's sleep, the goblins and healer wrote their last reports and retired for the evening. The next morning, Griphook agreed to take Harry to his trust vault and retrieve enough gold to make his first purchases in Diagon Alley.

Following a good breakfast and checking with Healer Grossman, the goblin and young boy hurled into the depths of Gringotts on one of the goblin carts.

"Faster!" called Harry as they spun around a corner with only two of the four wheels on the tracks. Griphook grinned; the boy was a goblin at heart!

They turned around three other corners before they came upon a strange sight – a Gringotts vault door stood open without a goblin guard. Griphook used goblin magic to bring the cart to a safe stop before he jumped from the cart to investigate.

"Who is here! Declare yourself or face the wrath of the goblin horde!" demanded Griphook, a knife appearing in his hand as he ran into the open vault.

Harry noticed the number on the vault – 463 – this was the vault Hagrid was going to visit when they came to Gringotts on his birthday. The boy hopped from the cart and followed Griphook. Hidden behind the door, Harry saw Griphook fly back from the vault, a blasting spell throwing the goblin across the tunnel to hit the stone wall and then slide to the floor and lie still.

Seeing his 'friend' hurt, Harry ran to the door and pushed with all his might; the perfectly balanced stone and steel door moved effortlessly to slam shut and automatically lock. Without a goblin entering a runic code on the door once it was shut, the Gringotts wards determined the vault to be in danger of being robbed; these same wards took offensive action against the intruder.

*(+++++)*

Inside vault 463, a wizard moved toward the treasure he sought – the Philosopher's Stone that would give him eternal life and unlimited hordes of gold. The wizard had entered the Gringotts underground and left his goblin escort dead beside another vault. It took ten minutes to reach this vault and another ten minutes to get the door open. He'd stepped inside, his prize in sight, when the voice of another goblin interrupted his moment of triumph.

Voldemort controlled Quintus Quirrell completely which explained the perfection of the blasting spell that threw the goblin across the tracks and into the wall on the other side. But the interruption left the wizard furious.

"Filthy goblins! I shall eradicate them as the vermin they are!" swore the spirit of the Dark Lord. "First Harry Potter, then Albus Dumbledore, and then the goblins of Gringotts!"

But suddenly the vault door moved! It closed faster than the Dark Lord could cast his spell again and the darkness surrounded the wizard. His mind racing furiously, the wizard's wand lit up to dispel the darkness. Apparition was impossible inside the Gringotts wards – unfortunately, testing the wards focused their attention on him.

The wards scanned the wand and the wizard holding the wand inside the vault – a thief for certain! The full force of the wards latched onto the wizard began to pull on the magic of the man with two faces standing in vault 463.

The agony that twisted through Quirrell-Voldemort reminded the Dark Lord of the moment ten years before when he was defeated by the Potters. He felt his magic being pulled out by the wards but rather than surrender, Voldemort reached for his reserves. He pulled on his magic in the five containers with pieces of his soul.

Across Britain, several magical fires erupted, and the speed of the fires pressed the Ministry for Magic to fight the flames while maintaining the statue of secrecy.

*(+++++)*

First, a fire erupted and spread rapidly through Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, destroying the wards that had hidden the estate for over a century. The family and their house elves escaped with a few of the family portraits but the rest of their heirlooms, furniture, and clothing burned. Ministry Aurors arrived and helped to contain the fire to the house while Lucius Malfoy worked desperately to re-establish the muggle repelling wards and hide his lands.

Narcissa comforted her son. "Tomorrow we'll venture to Diagon Alley again and buy you a new trunk and clothing for Hogwarts."

*(+++++)*

The next morning, when a delivery owl found her with the new edition of the Daily Prophet, Narcissa Malfoy was disturbed to learn that her aunt, Wahlberg Black, died when fire suddenly erupted inside her well-hidden home in London. An entire block of muggle residences was also consumed by the fire as firefighters worked around invisible Aurors who fought the fire. At least a dozen muggles were killed by the fire and another 27 lost their homes.

*(+++++)*

A wildfire erupted in the north of England in the town of Little Hangleton leaving a forested area and a deserted muggle manor home in ashes. Local muggle firefighters battled the fire and it wasn't until two days later that any Aurors appeared to verify that the extinguished fire was magical in origin.

*(+++++)*

The reason for the delay in checking Little Hangleton was that a fire erupted in Hogwarts Castle at the same time as the other fires across Magical Britain. The blaze erupted through the roof and appeared to be confined to the seventh floor, but it took Dumbledore and the faculty hours to extinguish the fire with the assistance of every spare Auror. Almost a dozen house elves perished fighting the fire and Dumbledore immediately made an appeal for spare house elves. Aurors examined the ruins of the seventh floor and determined that a hidden room had experienced uncontrollable magic that manifested in a fire.

*(+++++)*

Inside Gringotts there were two different crisis – the wards were overcharged by the magic syphoned from the thief trapped and killed in Vault 463. The wards sparked continuously, and curse breakers quickly set whirling dervishes in every ritual chamber to capture and store the excess power.

Simultaneously, a fire erupted in the vault that was held by Bellatrix Lestrange. The mad witch had been convicted earlier the same day for torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. This afternoon Bellatrix, her husband, brother-in-law, and a fourth Deatheater, Barty Crouch, Jr., were locked up in Azkaban for life.

With the overflowing power in the wards, the fire suppression magic snuffed out the blaze in the Lestrange vault with the loss of a single relic – an ornate chalice. The goblins recorded the fire and the loss. The next time Madam Lestrange came to the bank, they would break the news to her.

*(+++++)*

Dumbledore never discovered that Voldemort and his soul anchors were killed by the son of the Potters; a couple that fought and defied the Dark Lord the prophesied three times. And the boy had been 'born' on 31 July as the seventh month died – another requirement. As the horcruxes were drained of their magical power to support the fragment of Tom Riddle's soul as it was destroyed by the wards in the bank, the containers collapsed and caught fire, setting off the magical blazes across Britain. From the prophecy – the power he knew not were the deadly wards of Gringotts triggered by the 'son' of the Potters.

*(+++++)*

The next morning, the Daily Prophet carried the stories of the fires in Wiltshire, London, and Hogwarts. No one outside the bank ever knew of the fire in the Lestrange vault and though several knowledgeable persons saw the wards spark, none of them ever connected the two events. There was never any mention in the paper concerning the fire in Little Hangleton.

An exhaustive investigation by the Unspeakables created more questions and Malfoy made a large donation to the minster and to the Department of Mysteries to stop the report from ever being published. But that only occurred in late October of the next year.

*(+++++)*

The second morning, the Daily Prophet reported that the start of the academic year at Hogwarts would be delayed until the beginning of October. The fire, smoke, and water damage in the castle meant a large part of the roof and many floors required repair. Students would leave from Kings Cross on 1 October, classes would be held six days a week, and the Winter Break would be reduced by a week. After the turn of the year, classes would return to a regular five day a week schedule.

This pleased Felicity and she was even more pleased at the knock on her door before she could begin her workday. There in the hallway stood her newest patient, Harry Potter with his copy of the Daily Prophet in one hand and a letter from Hogwarts announcing the delay in the beginning of the school year.

"Morning Healer Grossman," he greeted her. "I came to ask if we can adjust your potion schedule for me? If I don't have to leave for Hogwarts until October and that means we have almost sixty days to repair all the things you said needed to be fixed."

*(+++++)*

Delays for First Year

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he stared at the charred ruins of his office. The magical fire – not fiend fire, thank Merlin – had jumped from the hidden room on the seventh floor to his office. His books (many 'borrowed' from other families) were destroyed. Many trinkets were simple puddles of silver including the ones that monitored Harry Potter. He assumed that the fire had destroyed the Potter invisibility cloak and the pensive though the house elves had rescued and hidden those items.

Several of the portraits of former headmasters had been destroyed and most catastrophic, the fire had climbed the stairs into his personal chambers, incinerating one hundred of his favourite robes. The elves claimed that the trunks with all his other robes had been in the Room of Requirement – where the fire originated.

'_There'll be no funds to pay for new robes this year,' _Dumbledore mourned. _'The governors stepped in and took the purse strings away… As if the roof is more important than my wardrobe! My image is important for all of Britain.'_

Apparently, Fawkes had enjoyed the fire immensely but then moved to the kitchens after her burning day – the house elves paid close attention to the phoenix chick, feeding her grapes, apple slices, raisins and cumquats almost continuously.

'_What is a cumquat, anyway?'_ the headmaster wondered.

The headmaster's problems only multiplied from there – Fluffy had escaped from the third-floor confinement, mauled Professor Pomona Sprout and Mediwitch Poppy Pomphrey in the hallways, and then the creature charged a team of Aurors coming to rescue the two witches. In the spell fire, the Cerberus fell with each head cut off. Both witches were rushed to St. Mungo's without any idea when they'd be well enough to return. It was Dumbledore's opinion that their injuries were minor, and they would return soon.

Hagrid remained absent and apparently the giant spiders were leaving the Forbidden Forest during the day, looking for something or someone to eat. In the headmaster's opinion, this unfortunate event created unnecessary alarm in the DMLE – the nocturnal acromantulas were burned out in two days of raids by the Aurors. The centaurs and Aurors made certain none of the spiders survived – Fawkes apparently hunted the smallest of the creatures and none would survive until Halloween once the phoenix was able to fly again.

*(+++++)*

There were other matters that demanded information and without time (or the nerve to approach Gringotts directly), Dumbledore spoke briefly to a friendly Auror in the hallway and then approached Madam Bones in the Great Hall where she met with her Aurors and the School Governors.

"Amelia, may I have a private word?"

The Director of the DMLE looked up from her conversation with the leader of the team firebombing the spider nest and frowned. She turned her full attention on him and said, "Albus! There you are! I've wanted to speak to you for the past week!"

The wizard managed to sigh mournfully, "There is so much to do to repair the school before the children return…"

The woman narrowed her eyes – a veteran of law enforcement, she recognized someone dissembling and attempting to control the conversation. Dumbledore had an agenda this afternoon and she decided to allow him to lead the conversation for the next few moments.

"Yes. What can I do for you today?"

The headmaster nodded and said, "As you remember the other day, we have misplaced our groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid."

"Yes, the Cerberus was his 'pet'…"

Clearing his throat, the headmaster continued, "Well, yes."

"And you never explained why it was housed on the third floor, how it got loose, or how it mauled two members of your staff."

"Fluffy was misunderstood…"

Amelia stared at the wizard for a moment, glanced at the School Governors who looked horrified, and then back at Dumbledore.

"What do you want, Dumbledore? Shall I arrest Hagrid for endangering the staff at Hogwarts with a Class XXX dark creature?"

"Arrest… Hagrid has my deepest trust, Amelia. I want your Aurors to find him and bring him back to Hogwarts. We need his strength to maintain the grounds."

"When was the last time you saw him and what was he doing?"

"It was the evening of the thirtieth of July and I sent him on an errand."

"To where?"

"I believe he was to be at Gringotts on the thirty-first… that's where he disappeared."

"How do you know he made it to Gringotts? Who would have been with him?"

"I am certain he made it to the bank… It was reported he was in the Leaky Cauldron before lunch and was headed toward the bank."

Amelia remembered the report from the Aurors on duty in Diagon Alley that day; the half-giant escorted Harry Potter through the entrance and then they disappeared into the bank. The sudden appearance of the magical fires in different parts of Britain the next day had overridden any follow-up with the half-giant.

"Very well headmaster, I'll make an inquiry with the goblins."

"I am certain one of your Aurors can handle the investigation and report to me without concerning you and your busy schedule. Perhaps Hesta Jones?"

Shaking her head, Amelia said, "I would never risk a valuable Auror with a goblin's temper. Your man disappeared several days ago – he might be lodged in a dragon's gut now."

"I'll go myself and make the inquiry." Amelia added, "Headmaster, deal with the problems on your wand already – you must manage repairs to the castle and there are at least three positions to fill…"

"What positions?" asked the surprized headmaster.

"You need a healer in the infirmary, a new Herbology professor, a new head of Hufflepuff, and a new professor for DADA."

Again, the Director of the DMLE smiled, "That makes four positions you have to fill quickly, and you have to provide the new professors with an orientation, teaching materials, lesson plans…"

"What do you mean? Poppy will come back and so will Professor Sprout. Quirinusis just took off on some travel and didn't inform me before he left."

Amelia shook her head and explained, "Poppy lost an arm to 'Fluffy'. She'll never be able to resume her duties at Hogwarts. I believe St. Mungo's will rehabilitate her to work in the hospital. Pomona has extensive scaring, but she might be able to return as the head of Hufflepuff this fall, but you'll need a new Herbology professor for at least the next year. And Quirrell was reported dead by Gringotts on the first of August."

"What? Why didn't you tell me!"

Amelia sniffed and said, "The DMLE sent you a letter about the death of your contracted employee. You must have overlooked it."

Marcus Selwyn, the chairman of the governors with the sudden resignation of Lucius Malfoy on 1 August, spoke up, "Director, I shall speak to the head of St. Mungo's and request a fully certified healer be assigned to Hogwarts; someone who works closely with the hospital on all issues here."

"But…" stuttered Dumbledore. "A mediwitch…"

"No, Dumbledore," insisted Selwyn. "Let me take this burden from your shoulders."

"And I shall select one of my senior Aurors as your DADA professor for the year," Amelia said. "Another heavy task removed from your shoulders as you repair Hogwarts."

With that the Director of the DMLE turned her back on Albus Dumbledore though the headmaster noticed that three Aurors kept their eyes on him until he left the room.

St. Mungo's Hospital

Pomona Sprout couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes when she glanced in the mirror. A long scar began in the right side of her forehead and ran diagonally across her face to below the left cheek. It remained inflamed and matched scars on her arms and back. She was being released today and would face the public with the scar plainly showing; she couldn't use glamour charms until the wounds completely healed because the Cerberus was a classified as dark creature.

'_Damn Albus Dumbledore and Rubeus Hagrid,'_ she cursed._ 'A Cerberus in the school – this could have been students.' _

Her youth was far behind Pomona, but she did like her face without the scar. And the healers were concerned the scars on her arms and back would impact her range of motion – she had to have full use of her arms and her back in her greenhouses!

From the other bed in the room, Poppy Pomphrey was clumsy sitting up – her right arm gone at the shoulder, she would have to train her left arm to be dominate, her spell casting was still restricted to minor charms, so she did not tax her magical core.

"We're lucky to be alive," Poppy said. "I have to find a new career and you have to perform all those exercises to strengthen your muscles again."

"And deal with Snape for the scar reducing potions!" the head of Hufflepuff groused. "The man is the premier potions master in Britain, but I'd almost rather have the scars than deal with him."

Poppy thought for a moment and then said, "Go to the goblins. There's a witch named Goodman… no, Grossman – Felicity Grossman, she has a mastery in potions and she can make your potions."

"At what price?"

"No more than Severus would charge you personally, and you would get them when you want them, not just when Severus had time, or Albus allowed Severus to have time."

"And I wouldn't have to forgive Albus for the dog attack if I have paid for my own potions."

Poppy nodded. "I have a rehabilitation appointment in ten minutes." The mediwitch paused at the door and turned back, "Please write to me Pomona. I will miss you, Minerva, and Filius, if no one else this year."

Crossing the room to carefully hug the mediwitch, Pomona Sprout replied, "We shall make certain to write. Besides you will be the one with news – living in London will be much more exciting than the dreary castle in Scotland. Remember we don't see the sun from before Christmas through the first day of spring!"

*(+++++)*

Page 18


	9. Chapter 9

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

For different reasons, Professor Sprout and Director Bones visit Gringotts and both of them meet Harry Potter.

Chapter 9: Sprout and Bones in Gringotts

The summer sun lingered in the sky over Diagon Ally as most visitors fled the hot cobblestones. Folks would return for supper at different establishments in ally in several hours but for the next part of the day, the ally would be deserted. From the Leaky Cauldron entrance, Pomona Sprout made her way quickly across the paved street – the sunshine hurt the new skin of her scars and the hat she wore didn't provide enough shade.

At the apparition spot, Amelia Bones and her guard appeared; they were returned to London from Hogwarts and she'd decided to venture into Gringotts first. As they stepped off the pad, she called Hesta Jones to her side.

"Auror Jones, does your magic mean so little to you?"

"My magic? What do you mean, Director?"

Amelia raised a single eyebrow and explained, "I saw the private conference you had with Dumbledore in the hall before he asked me to investigate the disappearance of the half-giant."

The young woman blushed but didn't comment on the director's words.

"Now I doubt he asked you on a date or inquired after your sick mother – he has little consideration for the people he uses for his own purposes."

"Director, the headmaster is a great man…"

Amelia nodded, "And he understands the power of oaths, don't you think?"

The woman nodded but still didn't understand the director's train of thought.

"Consider what would happen if you revealed confidential information from an investigation to the headmaster? Would your oath as an Auror forgive you for breaching the confidentiality of a victim?"

Hesta Jones did argue against Director Bones comment this time, saying, "But he is the head of the Wizengamot, he's your boss!"

Amelia laughed and motioned the other members of her guard to her side, "Dumbledore in the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. He is a bureaucrat and he is NOT in your chain of command. If you – or any other Auror – tell him information about an investigation after this moment, I declare you in violation of your oath. Please make certain every Auror hears that news."

"Yes Director," replied each member of the team.

"And Jones," Amelia concluded, "tomorrow, report to the duty desk for two weeks of patrol assignments before you'll be in my duty team again."

"Yes, Director," the chastened Auror replied. "Thank you, Director."

Meeting in the lobby, Amelia Bones greeted Pomona Sprout and inquired after her injuries. The two women joined the queues but were quickly invited back to a private office where Sprout's request to meet with Felicity Grossman was granted easily and Bones remained to speak with Ironstream.

*(+++++)*

Ironstream's Conversation with Director Bones

"The Cerberus caused a great deal of damage to the staff and the Aurors who finally killed it," Ironstream observed.

"Yes, it did,"

"And yet the mastermind behind the creature's presence in a school remains in his position – Gringotts has lowered our estimation of the average level of intelligence of the witches and wizards in Magical Britain again."

The director looked away for a moment but made no other comment.

"And what brings you to my office today, Director Bones?"

"The mastermind declines to come and make an inquiry as to the location of a missing employee. Since it is a missing person's request, the DMLE is involved."

"The director herself is handling missing persons case?"

Amelia smiled, "I wanted to deflate the notion that Dumbledore could make use of any Auror for any personal mission…"

Ironstream nodded his head to acknowledge her tactic but then asked, "Which of the persons sent to Gringotts by Dumbledore this week are you concerned about?"

"My formal request is to determine the location of the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid. He is the groundskeeper at Hogwarts."

"On 31 July, Mr. Hagrid escorted the young Harry Potter into the lobby and inquired about making a withdrawal from the Potter Trust Vault to purchase Mr. Potter's school uniforms, trunk, books, and other items."

"And?"

While he was here, I sent him to the dragon pens…"

The director of the DMLE sat upright, a dark expression appearing on her face, "Hagrid does not have an ounce of malice in his body? Why did you feed him to the dragons?"

The goblin laughed, "Director Bones, Rubeus Hagrid met our dragons and they fell in love with the half-giant. He is now the official dragon handler in our dungeons. Only yesterday, he assisted with the hatching of several new dragons, and talked us into retiring our old dragons to the preserve in Rumania rather that slaughtering them for potion ingredients."

"How did he do that?"

"Hagrid demonstrated several techniques that transform the dragon droppings into even more potent fertilizer. We will sell the old dragons to the preserve for several tonnes of fresh dragon droppings. The improved fertilizer will increase sales by a factor of five and make Mr. Hagrid one of our most profitable employees this year."

Amelia Bones laughed aloud for the first time in several days. The first week of August had been very difficult with the fires and the damage to Hogwarts. She'd been one of the officials to demand the delay of the opening of the school until the repairs were complete – otherwise Dumbledore would never have completed the repairs.

"Now, do you have any questions about Harry Potter?"

The unexpected question from Ironstream caught Amelia Bones off guard.

She carefully asked, "Why should the DMLE be interested in Harry Potter at this point in time? Did his guardian make any requests for assistance you can't provide?"

"His guardian?" the goblin asked with a disgusted tone evident in his voice. "The young wizard has never met his magical guardian and his muggle guardian neglected and abused him somewhat."

"Abused? Who the Merlin…" Amelia paused and then asked, "Who is his magical guardian?"

"Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore is the cantankerous wizard's name," the goblin replied.

Standing to pace back and forth, Amelia found herself cursing the Headmaster soundly. She finally returned to the chair and bowed her head, "I beg your indulgence for losing my temper, Ironstream."

"I believe you were very restrained – nothing was damaged by uncontrollable magic."

"How bad is it? Is the boy well?"

"A witch working as a healer for Gringotts performed an examination of the boy and she filed the necessary papers with the correct departments at the ministry to sever the previous, neglectful magical guardian's rights. She also severed the rights of the muggle guardians. Since these motions occurred within the confines of Gringotts…"

"There's nothing the ministry can do to counteract them," Director Bones said to affirm the goblin's position. "May I see the medical report? I can signoff on the motion and that will weaken any later moves by the minster or the headmaster to change the guardianship."

"Gringotts welcomes your review but we intend to remain responsible for Heir Potter until he reaches his majority," Ironstream said as he handed the parchment that listed the wounds, broken bones and corrections required to make the child healthy to the Director of the DMLE.

He added, "I understand the delay in the opening of Hogwarts will allow Healer Grossman to complete almost every procedure she wanted to heal Heir Potter and spur his growth to norms for eleven-year-old wizards."

Amelia finished reading the report and asked, "A diamond chip embedded in his forehead made the famous scar?"

The goblin nodded. "We believe it was from the ring that Lady Lily Potter was wearing when she was killed. The ring was recovered from Lady Potter's body ten years ago with the stone was damaged in a blast."

"From where the Dark Lord's spell reflected back on himself," Amelia mused and Ironstream did not correct her assumption. "Now, may I meet Heir Potter?"

Ironstream's face brightened and he said, "That is an excellent idea Director Bones. You can witness his taking up his ring as heir to the Potter name, vaults and estate. Then there can be no question in the ministry."

The healer wrote her report and per Ministry mandates, severed all claims of the previous muggle guardians and the absent magical guardian.

*(+++++)*

Sprout and Grossman Talk

In another part of Gringotts, Pomona Sprout sat with Felicity Grossman after the healer examined her wounds and scars.

"This salve and face cream will reduce the scars to fine lines within two weeks, Professor. You will need to complete the physical therapy proscribed by the healers at St. Mungo's to rebuild the muscle in your hands, arms, and back, but by the first of the year, you will have the full range of motion once again."

"Thank you! Thank you so much. I hated the idea of not being able to do the work I enjoy so much or facing these scars every morning for the rest of my life. I will pay full value for the potions but how else can I repay you for your kindness?"

Felicity paused for a moment and then asked, "Thank you, and there is a favour I would ask but it requires your discretion and confidence."

"Whatever you need," Pomona assured her healer.

"There is a young patient of mine here who will need someone to take him to get his robes for Hogwarts around 15 October; I don't want him measured for robes before then."

"Certainly, I will be glad to help. What about his wand? Or his books?"

"We took care of the books the other day and I will take him to get his wand before then. His magical core must settle before he visits with Mr. Ollivander for a wand."

"Who is this patient?"

"Harry Potter…" Felicity replied when a rune began flashing on her desk. She tapped the rune with her wand and appeared to listen to a message that Professor Sprout could not hear. Once finished, Healer Grossman smile and rose from her chair.

"Come along with me and meet Harry. We've been summoned to Ironstream's office to introduce Harry to Director Bones of the DMLE.

*(+++++)*

Harry Potter was in heaven though from the books he'd been reading this week, witches and wizards believe in some place called 'Avalon' rather than heaven. He grinned thinking about all the things he had seen and read this week – he'd met lots of goblins, smart wizard and powerful witches who healed his old wounds and removed his scars. Best of all, he'd seen baby dragons hatching in the deepest chambers under Gringotts where Hagrid worked now.

Hurrying through the corridors between his apartment and Ironstream's office, Harry dodged goblins with loads of gold, bolts of expensive cloth and a few baskets filled with heirlooms and charmed items – the contents of someone's vault were being moved manually – the goblins were able to charge the wizard who used the vault when they performed the move with manual labour rather than a simple magical spell.

Outside the door, Harry paused and knocked.

"Enter," Ironstream called and Harry turned the door knob and entered the room. As soon as he saw the two unknown witches, he put his new training and formal language that Felicity was drilling into him.

"Account Manager Ironstream, you requested my presence?"

"I did indeed Heir Potter," the goblin replied. "I must introduce you to these two witches."

Motioning toward the first witch, Ironstream said, "This is Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE and the head of House Bones. Her niece will begin her first year at Hogwarts with you."

"I am very glad to meet you, Director Bones," Harry replied with a polite bow of his head.

Motioning at the other woman, Ironstream said, "And this witch is Pomona Sprout, Mistress of Herbology and Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts."

"Again, I am very glad to meet you, Professor Sprout," Harry repeated and added the bow of his head.

"It is nice to meet you Harry," Professor Sprout said. "And I must say, you have the look of your father with your mother's eyes."

Harry smiled politely but did not comment on the resemblance everyone thought they saw to James and Lily Potter. Director Bones was silent at first but then said, "Ironstream, I believe you wished for Pomona and me to witness Heir Potter's investiture with the Heir's ring."

"Yes, Director. When your niece took up her ring two months ago, Professor McGonagall and Minister Fudge were the witnesses here in the bank."

Now Ironstream tapped his desk again and the large wall behind them brightened with the Potter crest and an ornate box appeared on the desktop. The goblin opened the box and offered it to both Bones and Sprout to examine.

"Yes, this is the Potter heir ring and the family magics do confirm they are active," Bones reported, and Sprout agreed. They would be able to testify truthfully at any inquest by anyone challenging the boy's inheritance.

Now Ironstream handed the box to Felicity who smiled at her patient. "Harry James Potter, your family magics call for you to wear this ring and learn about your history, your magic and your place in the magical world."

She took the ring from the box and placed on her charge's ring finger. Harry stared at the ring as the stone grew bright for a moment and then resized the ring to fit on his smaller finger.

"Congratulations, Heir Potter!" called everyone in the room.

*(+++++)*

Page 14


	10. Chapter 10

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Reposted on 3 March to correct a couple typos.

It is the middle of September, and the delayed start of the school year approaches so Felicity takes Harry to Ollivander's shop to get his wand. Ollivander forgets that the wand chooses the wizard. Hedwig makes her appearance in a forceful way. (Love the owl!) Finally, the week before time to head to Hogwarts, Professor Sprout comes to take Harry to get his school robes and they encounter another professor and future classmate in the alley.

Chapter 10: The Wand Chooses the Wizard

It was the first week in September before Felicity took Harry to get his wand at Ollivander's shop. The old wand maker was known across Britain and Europe for making very stable wands that helped young witches and wizards to grow comfortable with their magic. Once they were grown, many of his customers returned for a new wand or acquired one during their travels to other nations but Ollivander's first wands were always treasured mementos of their childhood.

This arrangement also allowed the ministry to have the 'trace' charm placed on every wand. Though many purebloods had the charm removed before Hogwarts, sensible parents left the trace on the wand until their child began their third or fourth year.

The door creaked loudly and there was a bell over the door to summon the old wizard from the back of his shop. He was stooped but smiled at the woman and boy.

"Ah, Felicity Grossman, pear wood with a hair from the mane of unicorn mare; very good for healing I believe."

"Well, I believe the symbol on my uniform identifies me as a healer, Mr. Ollivander," the healer replied smartly. "The charm on the door tells you the name of every witch or wizard who enters…"

His face turning sour for only a moment, the wand maker adjusted his glasses and looked at the boy with some surprize on his face.

"Harry Potter?" he asked, peering closely at the boy.

"Yes sir," the boy replied. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Are you certain?" Frowning for a moment the shopkeeper said, "I thought I'd be seeing you months ago. It seems you have your mother's eyes. Her wand was willow; that would and very good for working with charms."

"Now, James Potter always preferred a mahogany wand to perform transfiguration." The old man smiled, "But it is always the wand that chooses the wizard, don't you know."

Ollivander stepped closer to the boy, reaching out a hand to brush the boy's hair from his forehead, but stopped when he noticed the wand slide into the healer's hand.

"You would draw on me in own shop?" he asked the healer. "What could you possibly do…"

"The charm to remove body hair before surgery is most painful with magnification and focused on the entire body," Felicity replied. "The charm to clear the penis of mucus is most effective against men when it is not proceeded by numbing or lubricating charms."

The old wizard froze in his steps; none of his wards prevented medical charms.

"I mean the boy no harm," Ollivander replied. "I need to take his measurements."

As instructed earlier when asked to lift his arm, Harry held out his left arm and the wand maker measured the length of his forearm and then his upper arm before turning to his stock of wands. Thirty minutes and a stack of discarded wands later, he paused, "I wonder… Just a moment."

He disappeared into the back and returned with a box that he opened and without touching the wand, offered it to the boy. Harry lifted the wand with his left hand to give it a swish with a colourful waterfall of sparks shooting across the room.

"That is an unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Mr. Ollivander nodded, "Very good but very curious too."

"How is Harry's wand curious, Mr. Ollivander?" asked Felicity motioning Harry to return the wand to the counter; the boy's discarding the stick caught the wandmaker's attention.

"You should hold the wand closely for at least two days Mr. Potter. You need to bond with each other…"

Echoing his guardian, Harry asked, "What's curious about this wand?"

The old man noticed immediately that the boy had not said, 'my wand'.

He sighed before he explained, "I remember all the wands that leave my shop."

Motioning toward the wand lying discarded on the counter, he explained, "The core of this wand is a phoenix feather and there's only one other wand with a core feather from the same phoenix; the wand that gave you…"

The wandmaker stared at the boy's forehead, "The scar. Dumbledore said…"

"What about that other wand, sir?" Harry insisted.

"It was the wand of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He gave you the scar on your forehead with a spell from that wand."

Felicity lowered her wand for the first time and said, "Mr. Ollivander, Harry doesn't have a scar on his forehead."

"No, he doesn't…"

"And I am right handed sir," Harry said. "Might we start over."

"Right handed?" the old man asked with some acidity. "Playing games with me, are you?"

"It would appear I did… My apologies, Mr. Ollivander," Harry replied.

The old man's lips quivered, "It's been many a year since anyone turned my charms around. Yes, let's start again."

The wandmaker pointed toward his shelves, "Run your hand over the shelves and see if anything reacts to your magic. And don't be surprized if you come back to this yew…"

"Oi!" Harry called out as he bent down and pulled a box from the bottom shelf. "What's in here?"

"Do you feel it call to you?"

"It vibrates or glows… I'm not sure which…"

Ollivander took the box and frowned again, "This is a wand I made in from wood that my son brought back from Australia when the continent was newly discovered. He said the wood is called buloke and it is too hard to work with our usual tools. I had to enchant the wood to accept a magical core but I don't remember what I used."

"Can you tell now?" asked Felicity.

Ollivander drew his wand and cast a spell on the hard, black wood. "This is the hardest wood in the world! I remember now it as midsummer's eve and the planets were aligned properly…"

"He's going to gouge us on the price after this long tale," Harry whispered to Felicity who shrugged.

"We insulted him in his shop, we owe him some galleons for that."

Ignoring them, Ollivander continued with his spell and said, "Most curious indeed… there are unicorn hair, dragon heart strings, and… well, it appears that part of the core is niffler hair."

"Nifflers? The little burrowers?" Harry asked excitedly. "I saw some in the new tunnels the other day. They were very cute."

"Give this one a try," Ollivander said offering the box to the boy again. Harry lifted the black wood from the box and ran the fingers of his left hand down the length of the wand.

"It is happy!" he announced as he lifted the wand and with a wave, golden glitter flew out of the end and coated the walls and windows of the shop.

"Oh dear," Ollivander said. "I believe the wand has chosen you Mr. Potter."

"How much?" asked Felicity.

"Twenty… no thirty galleons."

"Can I get a wrist thingie?" Harry asked.

"Not today but we'll get one before you leave for school."

*(+++++)*

As they left the wandmaker's shop, with Harry's wand in his hand, Felicity grumbled, "Thirty galleons for a wand… it better be the wand to beat all other wands for that price! And Mr. Ollivander was very strange."

Harry grinned, "I won't tell anyone. It's be more important how well it works in charms and DADA."

"And transfiguration," Felicity reminded him. "Wizards need to master all their classes."

"I will!"

*(+++++)*

Suddenly from a shop across the alley, came loud noises as a man shouted, "Stop! Stop you stupid bird!"

Harry read the name of the shop over the door, Eeylops Owl Emporium. Now the door opened, and woman fled shouting, "That owl is crazy! Someone call the Aurors!"

A large white owl flew from through the doorway and sped straight to Harry. She circled him once before he lifted his left arm and she settled on it, churring and puffing at him without stop for almost a full minute. Felicity dealt with owls daily at Gringotts and knew that the only time they became agitated was when someone set out to aggravate them.

From the store, a wizard stumbled looked about the street and when he saw the owl on the boy's arm, he charged forward.

"That bloody owl is a menace! Two years she's sat in my store and ignored everyone. Then this morning she hops about and hoots like she's excited and wants out of the store!"

Felicity watched Harry; the heads of the boy and the owl were perfectly synchronized as they turned toward the approaching wizard. He drew his wand but then froze as something in the glare of the boy and the bird caught his attention.

"Sir, I believe my young friend here is very taken with your troublesome bird," Felicity said. "Shall we return to your shop to pay for the bird and purchase a stand and owl treats?"

The proprietor of the shop stepped back, noted the emblems of Gringotts and healing on her robes, and returned his wand to his sleeve. Felicity pointed to the ice cream shop as she walked back into Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry made his way to the patio of the ice cream shop and enjoyed a dish of Screaming Vanilla while his own sat on a nearby tree branch and kept watch. When she exited the shop with a shrunken stand, feeder, owl treats, and a travel cage in her pockets, Felicity made her way to the ice cream shop and found Harry engrossed in conversation with his new postal owl.

"I'm sorry Hedwig. I didn't know you were there waiting for me in July."

The owl responded with several long chuffing noises, and Harry added, "I knew you were my friend the instant I saw you. I heard you call…"

The owl chuffed and churled, rubbing her head against his own.

"Harry, how did you come up with that name for the owl so quickly?"

Looking at Felicity with a perplexed face, Harry said, "She told me her name when I introduced myself to her."

"She 'told' you?"

The owl – Hedwig apparently – chuffed a long sentence and Harry grinned at the bird before he turned to Felicity and translated, "Hedwig says she will help you and make me mind my manners at Hogwarts. You can't watch me all the time."

"No, that is very true." Felicity shook her head and said, "Hedwig, can you find the owl stalls above Gringotts? That's where you will sleep…"

"No, she'll sleep in my room and fly out every morning when I have to go to lessons. She's very determined…"

"Alright but you have to keep her area clean!"

*(+++++)*

That evening, Ollivander wrote a promised letter to Albus Dumbledore. He spent only a few minutes on the words he committed to parchment and then closed his shop to make his way to a shop where he could rent an owl to deliver a letter.

The next morning in Hogwarts as Dumbledore and the professors continued their preparations for the delayed start of the school year, he received Ollivander's note.

**Albus**

**The boy came into my shop yesterday for a wand. It was not the wand you predicted and charmed. He is not what you are expecting; and I advise you not to mess with him or the wand.**

*(+++++)*

When Harry and Felicity stopped to let Ironstream know they had returned from Ollivander's shop, the goblin asked to examine his young charge's new wand.

The boy handed his new wand over without hesitation and the goblin grinned, "Now young Harry, I want you to promise me that if anyone else asks to examine your wand, you tell them 'No'. None of your professors or friends should hold your wand. The only time you might is if an Auror he is questioning you about a crime. I hope before you are an adult, you will have a second wand in case that ever happens."

Harry frowned as he concentrated on the goblin's words but nodded his head in understanding.

"Once a wizard gives up his wand, he has fewer options to defend himself. That is why your lessons will include spells to summon your wand from someone else's hands and why…" Ironstream paused as he pulled a leather contraption from his desk drawer, "I have procured a wrist holster for your wand."

"Thank you, sir! I've seen the curse-breakers use them and know they make drawing the wand much faster!"

While Harry fastened the straps around his arm, and loaded his wand, released it, and pushed back inside several times, Felicity asked, "And did you remove the trace?"

Ironstream said, "I couldn't find the trace on the wand. It didn't want to be 'watched' and refused to let the ministry's magic take hold."

"Only Harry…"

*(+++++)*

Getting Robes

It was another week before Harry ventured very far in Diagon Alley. Professor Sprout came to Gringotts to collect the boy and take him to get his robes from Madam Malkin.

"Why is this professor coming to take me to get my school robes?" Harry asked that morning in Felicity's apartment in the bank's quarters for human employees.

"You need a muggleborn orientation for Hogwarts," she replied. "All students meet with a professor before leaving for school."

"But I thought Hagrid…"

Felicity stopped, her tea cup half way to her mouth and replied, "You're right. That is odd. Perhaps you can ask him today when you slip down into the lower vaults…"

"You know I been down there?"

"Harry, Ironstream knows everything you do and everywhere you go inside the bank and when we venture outside, there is usually at least one wizard sent to watch over us."

The boy frowned, "He won't send one to Hogwarts, will he?"

Hedwig barked from her perch and Harry's frown grew darker.

"What did she say?" asked the healer though she could imagine the owl's comments already.

"Hedwig wants two wizards to go with me to Hogwarts. She says I'll be in trouble every day…"

Felicity laughed and hugged Harry – something he was getting used to, "You'll like Professor Sprout. She is head of Hufflepuff and a very kind person."

*(+++++)*

On their way back to Gringotts from Madam Malkin's shop where Harry purchased his school robes, Professor Sprout and the young wizard were surprized to meet Professor McGonagall with a young girl who were on their way to the book store, Flourish and Blotts.

"Harry, let me introduce you to another of your professors at Hogwarts," Professor Sprout said after exchanging greetings with her fellow professor. "This is Minerva McGonagall, she will be your transfiguration professor."

"You'll probably be in my house too, just like your parents," the taller witch said immediately. "You look just like James with your mother's eyes. Gryffindor has all the brave wizards and witches."

Sprout made a sour face as McGonagall said, "Why don't you come with us Mr. Potter? Miss Granger is already in need of more books and I am certain we can find a few that interest you."

"No thank you, professor. Professor Sprout is taking me back to Gringotts. I have a lesson this afternoon."

"Lessons? What kind of lessons?" asked the girl.

"I believe Mr. Potter has history lessons this afternoon," Pomona replied. "Something about goblins…"

"I am certain Mr. Potter will get enough about goblin rebellions at Hogwarts. I think he should come…"

"Stop, Minerva!" Sprout insisted, her aggravation easy to see on her face.

"Stop what? Whatever do you mean!"

As the two witches began to argue, the girl began to give Harry her opinion of Gryffindor House and Albus Dumbledore.

"It is the best house for us in Hogwarts!" she insisted. "Professor Dumbledore was in Gryffindor and you know he's the best wizard since Merlin."

"But…"

"I couldn't be in Slytherin… they are too wrapped up in the Pureblood thinking and Ravenclaw is nothing but bookworms…"

"Did you…" Harry attempted to interrupt the lecture unsuccessfully.

"And Hufflepuff is full of minions… Who has minions at Hogwarts, I wonder?"

"Miss Granger…"

"Call me Hermione. Anyway, we need to be in Gryffindor. It is the best house for us…"

The boy thought about the information he'd been given by his goblin teachers and he slipped his wand from his sleeve. The argument between Sprout and McGonagall was growing louder but a sudden exclamation from the girl stopped the 'discussion' about Dumbledore's plans.

"Eeep!" chirped the girl as Harry Potter quickly tucked his wand back up his sleeve in his wrist holder.

"What happened?" asked Professor Sprout.

The girl turned to the two professors and said in loud voice, "You cast a charm on me! You told me to convince Harry how great Gryffindor is! How wise Dumbledore is! Why did you need to cast a spell on me to do that?"

"You're distraught child… Let me take you home,"

"No. You'll just cast more spells on me! Go away!" Hermione shouted. "When I tell…"

Professor Sprout interrupted and said, "Minerva, go back to Hogwarts. You've attracted enough attention in the alley for one day."

Minerva noticed a mixed crowd watching the show of the young girl shouting at the well-known professor.

"Last chance; if we add the identity of my student to the mix, it'll be front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow and you know Albus will not stand up for you."

"You'll see the girl home?" asked Minerva, suddenly nervous.

"Of course, and I will give her a calming draught too."

Minerva McGonagall said 'goodbye' to no one as she hurried to the apparition point and vanished.

"Now tell me what happened," Sprout instructed the two future students. The girl, Hermione Granger, explained how Dumbledore and McGonagall appeared at her home that morning to ask a favour if she would talk to Harry Potter about all the things she'd heard about Hogwarts and school.

"They said you'd been misinformed by the goblins…"

Harry smiled at the girl and explained, "Miss Granger was talking so fast, I couldn't understand her. And she kept repeating herself – things the books of charms said happened with compulsion charms. So, I cast finite incantatem on her and she was able to stop."

"You already know how to stop another spell?" Professor Sprout asked as Hermione stared, her mouth open in amazement.

"The goblins insisted that I know that before anything else; they expect Professor Dumbledore to cast them at me every day at Hogwarts."

"Do they now?"

"How can you cast spells already? The trace is supposed to tell…" the young witch asked.

"We're in Diagon Alley, dear," Professor Sprout explained. "Everyone is using magic here."

Professor Sprout escorted Harry to the steps of Gringotts where he wished Hermione well. "We can sit together on the train and talk."

"Really?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll introduce you to my owl. She's a good talker… uh… good at carrying on a conversation."

The two witches looked at the boy strangely for just a moment before he left for the interior of the bank and Professor Sprout led the girl toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"I think we'll use the underground and the buses to get you home today, dearie. You've had enough magic for an eleven-year-old."

"I'm twelve," the girl replied. "My birthday was last week. Do you think it will give me an advantage to be almost a year older than everyone else in my year?"

*(+++++)*


	11. Chapter 11

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The last week before the Hogwarts Express leaves for Scotland is filled with conversations and developments for Harry and the magical people around him. He spends time with Felicity, Ironstream, and Hagrid and his dragons. Hedwig has valuable advice in all the conversations but there's one sour note as Bill Weasley gets caught up in Dumbledore's machinations.

Chapter 11 Final Preparations for Hogwarts

Late the next afternoon, Felicity Grossman climbed the several flights of stairs to the rooftop where the Gringotts Parliament of Owls held court from their boxes and roosts. Employees seldom climbed to the roof; the owls knew when they were needed in the different offices in the bank. But Harry came up to the roof to visit with Hedwig at some point every day when she wasn't with him for all his lessons. The young wizard wanted to learn about owls, addresses for wizards, and to spy on Diagon Alley and beyond, Muggle London.

"Harry! There you are!" the healer called in greeting as she came closer and sat beside the dark-haired boy.

"Hey, Felicity! Did you have a good day?"

The healer nodded her head, "I did. There were a few broken bones from some training for curse-breakers, but no one was burned by the dragons."

"I've been talking with the dragons for Hagrid and I think they understand they can't burn the goblins who bring them food every day."

Felicity didn't pay close attention to her ward's words as they sat on a bench and watched the lights come on in the skyscrapers of London.

"Harry, why are the owls congregating here at this time of day?" the healer asked.

"Hedwig says they gather to discuss the flights they made today and to divide up the alleys of London for tonight's hunting."

"Hunting in London?"

"London's got lots of rats that come out at night and the owls like the taste of fresh rat," Harry said with a grimace but then he added, "Hedwig told me not to judge other people by what they eat… she's right; Hagrid, Fang, and the dragons like raw mutton. The dragons like their mutton with organs and wool still attached."

"I'm sorry I asked," Felicity said as she turned slightly green. "Can we talk about something else?"

Nodding in agreement, Harry said, "I'm going to write to Miss Granger tonight about sitting together on the train next week."

"She's the muggleborn witch you met in the alley yesterday?"

"Yes. Professor McGonagall and the headmaster sent her to talk to me about Gryffindor House. James and Lily Potter were in that house when they were students."

"I am certain Gryffindor is a perfectly good house. When you reach Hogwarts, you will be sorted into the house that is best for you! It could be any of the four houses."

"And you won't be upset if I don't go into Hufflepuff?"

Felicity reached over and hugged Harry close, "I will be proud of you in any house so long as you have good grades!"

Hedwig hopped down from the perch and sat on Harry's shoulder where she preened his hair for a moment while chuffing and chortling.

"What's she saying?" asked the healer as Harry listened to his owl familiar.

"She says I'm a perfect candidate for Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. She recommends that I change houses each year…"

Now Grossman laughed, a clear and gleeful laugh that cheered Harry. She hugged him tighter and said, "Hedwig, I'd not certain if you are joking or serious but I enjoy hearing your ideas. Maybe what you do is make friends with other kids in all of the houses."

Harry seemed to consider the idea and Hedwig approved of the notion. The healer continued saying, "Now, I'm going to take Harry to dinner, and Hedwig can find you in your bedroom when she gets back."

Felicity looked from the owl to the boy and then back, "There'll be no slipping off to the dragon nursery tonight. Are we clear about that?"

Harry nodded but frowned when Hedwig chirped her agreement. They sat for a while longer, watching the lights come on around the great city of London and just as dusk began darkening the skies, the owls took wing and flew off to hunt for their suppers.

"Come on Harry, let's have Indian tonight," Felicity said. "They don't serve international cuisine at Hogwarts and you will be missing Thai and Indian before you come back for the Yule Holiday."

*(+++++)*

Lessons with Ironstream and Hagrid

Once in the library at his primary school in Little Whining, Harry read a book about the Royal Navy. The illustrations of the great battleships interested him, and he remembered reading about the superstructure – the narrow portion of the ship that rose above the deck and the guns, and the part of the ship that floated on the water.

This week, when he saw a map of the extent of the caverns and tunnels dug underneath London by the goblins, the comparison to the battleships occurred in his mind. Several caverns too near the 'Tube' had been filled in and abandoned as the muggles expanded their mass transit system. Today, Gringotts officially reached fifty kilometres from London with outlying caverns for growing food and providing homes for the goblins.

"I think Gringotts is like a battleship," Harry told Ironstream as they descended into the depths of chambers directly underneath London.

"A battleship? Why do you say that?" asked the goblin as he directed the cart along the tracks at breakneck speed.

"The lobby for the bank and a few offices sit in Diagon Alley but that's just a superstructure above the main caverns. Below the ground are the vaults, tunnels and chambers with magic and goblins."

"Ah… you mean like a submarine, rather than a battleship," Ironstream corrected his student. "The battleship sits on the water with some parts displacing water, but the majority of the vessel is visible to the naked eye."

Harry listened carefully as the goblin continued, "But Her Majesty's Navy has several nuclear submarines that can submerge with only a periscope above the water."

"Like the bank?"

Nodding, Ironstream agreed, "Like the bank."

"So, the lobby is like a periscope hiding the rest of the bank underneath the ground."

"Next summer, I can arrange for Healer Grossman to take you to Plymouth to visit the naval port there and see the submarines."

Harry was silent as they came to a stop outside the new 'nursery' where Hagrid raised the young dragons to guard the vaults.

"Why do goblins hide underground?"

"We 'live' underground by our nature," Ironstream corrected the boy. "We hide how big our caverns and tunnels are because we know someday, wizards may turn against us or the muggles may find us. Gringotts is the largest goblin settlement that is not buried in a vast mountain range. The oldest goblin cities are in the mountains of Turkey. We settled in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and Atlas Mountains as the Roman wizards spread around the Mediterranean Sea. Every goblin knows that he must constantly prepare for war, siege, or famine."

Listening carefully to the goblin's words, Harry replied, "So… I have to educate and prepare myself for attacks by wizards, muggles, dwarves…"

Ironstream growled, "Don't mention dwarves! I told you I hate dwarves."

Harry nodded his head respectfully as Hedwig landed on his shoulder.

Ironstream was surprized to find the familiar with them in the depths of the bank. He asked, "You bring your owl to the dragon pens? They're likely to spit flames at her and barbeque your bird."

"Nope," Harry replied. "Swampy likes Hedwig and begged her to fly back to London at least once a week for a long talk about what I am doing in school."

"Swampy?" asked the goblin. "Who is Swampy?"

"The green dragon's name is Swampbreath, but Hagrid shortened it to 'Swampy' after we talked to her for a few days."

"TALK!" exclaimed Ironstream. He grabbed Harry's arm and drug the boy into the dragon pens, while calling out, "Rubeus Hagrid! Where are you?"

*(+++++)*

"I was just as surprized as you when little Harry's bird could talk to the dragons," Hagrid told the amazed goblin. "It seems Harry's a parsel-mouth and Hedwig's his familiar, so she can talk to the dragons too."

The half-giant teared up and said, "I bet she could have talked to Fluffy and then he wouldn't have been killed."

"Who is Fluffy?" demanded Ironstream.

"He was… he was my… Dumbledore let him starve... He must have got so hungry, he broke out at Hogwarts and got killed…" Hagrid tried to explain but his tears fell too fast. The four growing dragons and the large hound gathered around the half-giant and leaned against him.

In a whisper, Harry explained, "Remember the Cerberus at Hogwarts back in September? He was one of Hagrid's pets."

The goblin and young wizard watched as the half-giant collected himself, rubbed the neck of his dog and each of the dragons, thanking them for providing comfort. When he blew his nose, each of the dragons echoed the half-giant with a short bellow of flame.

"Sorry about that there," Hagrid said. "What can I do for ye today, Ironstream?"

"Mr. Potter here says that you and he are talking to the dragons. How is that possible?" Ironstream repeated the news. "The directors will lay golden eggs when they hear this news."

"Is that where baby goblins come from?" asked Harry though he laughed and ran to hide behind Fang, Hagrid's big dog, when Ironstream scowled in his direction.

"And this dog? Do the dragons talk to him too?" the goblin asked sarcastically.

"No, the dragons all think they're Fang's puppies. The first two weeks, they curled up next to him at night and he fed them…"

"How did a dog…?" Ironstream started to ask.

"T'was just like a pack of dogs," Hagrid quickly explained.

Harry just nodded before he said, "It was really gross."

"Now Harry, it t'were nature," the half-giant lectured. "Fang gorged on meat and stuff I'd throw him. Then he would run around the nursery for thirty minutes or so with the dragons chasing him…"

"They was playing, and when Fang was ready, he'd stand still, then the little fellers would come up to his mouth, begging for food."

"And Fang would barf it all back up," Harry said with a grin. "It was smelly but Flatfoot, Swampbreath, Deathrider, and Whatchamacallit loved the messy food."

"How can a dog feed these four?" Ironstream asked pointing to the four dragons that were already as large as the dog.

"On that only lasted for two weeks," Hagrid explained. "They grows so fast, they t'were able to eat for themselves once they belched flames. Fang just taught 'em what to eat."

Harry added, "Now the goblins bring their food and put it in the den. Fang and his babies eat all their food morning and night."

His eye twitching as he considered this news, Ironstream asked, "Where did those names come from? Flatfoot, Swampbreath, Deathrider, and Whatchamacallit?"

"The dragons told me their names when they were a week old," Harry said. "They like their nicknames too; Flat, Swampy, Death and Whatcha."

"And how are we going to talk to them after you leave for Hogwarts?" the goblin asked.

"They understand Hagrid pretty good now," Harry said. "And Hedwig promised to visit them every week and teach them more about human and goblin speech."

"Hedwig?" asked Ironstream, covering his eyes with both hands.

"Yeah, she'll be carrying letters back and forth from me to Felicity."

*(+++++)*

A Letter for Hermione

The snowy owl made her way to an affluent neighbourhood in Crawley and settled into a tree to watch a certain house. She caught sight of the recipient of the letter and package on her leg quickly and flew closer to the bedroom window. Landing on the narrow ledge, she pecked on the window, catching the girl's attention.

"Hermione, why is an owl at the window?" asked her mother at the door.

"It's a messenger owl," the twelve-year-old said as though that explained everything. "It's got a letter for me."

"Let me see it," Mrs. Granger said. "If that duffer Dumbledore is casting spells on you again…"

Hermione nodded and handed the letter over to her mother. When Mrs. Granger opened the sealed parchment, a book fell out and landed on the floor. As the woman glanced over the letter, her daughter retrieved the book.

"Proper Etiquette for Young Witches and Wizards by Dorea Black," she read aloud.

Smiling faintly, the woman handed the letter to her daughter and watched her read the lines carefully but rapidly.

"Harry Potter invites me to sit with him on the Hogwarts Express of 1 October. 'We will discuss the rules that the purebloods judge us by as muggleborn and muggle-raised magical people entering their world'. A relative wrote the book."

Hermione lifted her head, frowned and said, "I made a mess of it the other day, didn't I? Yelling at Professor McGonagall in the street like that."

"That was not your fault," Mrs. Granger insisted. "Professor McGonagall better hope it is a long time before your father or I see her again!"

Mrs. Granger sat her daughter down and explained, "If it wasn't too late, your father and I would move you to Beauxbatons in France. If these people in Scotland are as crazy as they seem, we'll visit there next summer and see about transferring you."

"Yes, Mom," Hermione replied. She knew her father wanted her to enrol in the French school despite her arguments. He'd been sold on Beauxbatons when he learned the students there were all females. Hermione wanted to learn about magic, and she hoped to make a friend, maybe two, at the new school.

*(+++++)*

Meet Bill Weasley

In the general cafeteria for the human employees, Harry ate his lunch while reading a book about magical animals written by a wizard named Newt Scamander.

"Oi, you can save that book for third year!" said a voice, sitting down at the table with a tray of food. Harry glanced up to see a tall, red-headed wizard take the seat opposite from him.

Harry argued, "Magical creatures are too interesting to wait for third year. It's like runes and potions, they're interesting now."

"But you have to learn to float objects before you can fly," explained the newcomer.

Frowning, Harry shook his head. "I want to learn everything!"

The messy headed kid had a determined look on his face and the strange wizard grinned, "I'm Bill Weasley. You'll want to meet my brother Percy; he's in Gryffindor house. He'll be a fifth year at Hogwarts, and he can tell you where all the good books are in the library."

"Do they have a big library at school?" asked Harry, beginning to smile at the stranger.

"Yes, but you'll need your own copies of the classroom texts. There are a few in the bookcases in Gryffindor too. Used ones are fine and sometimes they have notes inside that help you with answers and clues."

Harry shrugged and returned to his book.

"Now, when you're sorted into Gryffindor with Percy, you'll also meet my twin brothers, George and Fred. And I'm sure Ron will be a firstie in Gryffindor."

Harry froze and slowly placed his fork back on the plate, before slipping his wand out of his wrist holder. He rose from his chair, grabbed his book and backed away.

"Did Dumbledore and McGonagall send you?" he asked coldly. "Why are they so determined to put me into Gryffindor?"

Bill Weasley didn't pay attention for a minute and finally he realized that no one around him was talking. He looked up and found the kid standing behind his chair with a strange looking wand pointed in his direction.

"Here now, put that wand down before you hurt someone!" he ordered the boy.

Bill made to draw his wand, but the boy moved quickly and pushed the table over onto the curse-breaker, throwing plates, cutlery and food all over the red-head, throwing him to the floor with other wizards and witches quickly moving away.

"What the Merlin was that?" Bill asked as he looked around. The kid had vanished.

*(+++++)*

"Weasley! My office now!" bellowed Sowsbreath in the bullpen for the curse-breakers.

Bill hurried into the office from where the ancient goblin assigned, rewarded and punished the fifty curse-breakers working at Gringotts.

"You needed to see me, sir?"

"I need to check you for compulsion charms," the goblin replied. "Do I have your permission?"

"Compulsion charms?" Bill asked in surprized. "Sure boss, check away."

The ancient goblin used a knife as his magical focus; he drew a runic figure in the air before Bill's face and then stabbed the knife into a sheet of parchment on his desk top. The knife sank a full quarter of an inch into the hard surface, but the goblin kept his eyes on the young wizard standing before him.

"I have high hopes for you – had high hopes for you – before today. You performed well in Erie last year and you've proven adapt at teaching the newbies a thing or two about draining the curses off dark items here in the bank."

The goblin frowned and ordered, "Tell me what you were thinking by attempting to influence the Potter boy about Hogwarts."

"I…" Bill froze as his mind replayed the conversation. How many times he had said 'Gryffindor' in the few short sentences he'd shared with the dark-haired kid.

"Merlin…" was the only thing he could say at that point. Sowsbreath handed him the parchment with the details of the compulsion charm.

"Do you recognize the magical signature?" Sowsbreath asked as the young man examined the parchment and the information on the compulsion charm removed from him only a moment earlier.

"She wouldn't have meant…" he tried to say.

"Do you recognize the magical signature!" demanded the goblin.

Bill swallowed and then admitted, "Yes sir, I do."

"Good," the old goblin said. "I give you tonight to visit with this benefactor and explain to them that their actions have cost you the plum assignment to the Egyptian tombs. You will report tomorrow morning to the construction offices here and you will receive your cold weather gear for a year in Iceland. We're behind schedule with digging the caverns for our long-term storage facility there. At noon, you'll use a portkey to travel to our offices in Reykjavik."

Bill stood perfectly still – a year in Iceland was a punishment assignment but he realized it was just.

"Yes sir," he said without hesitation.

The goblin stared at the young wizard, examining his eyes for twitches and his hands for twitches that might indicate hidden anger. Finding none, Sowsbreath nodded.

"Good. Work hard for the next twelve months and don't interfere in anyone's business again. Then I can move you to Italy. We're going to look for untouched Etruscan tombs."

"Thank you, Sowsbreath," Bill said before he turned and left. He went immediately to his apartment in the bank to pack his belongings. For a moment, he thought about taking his trunk home to the Burrow but then decided to leave his spare belongings in storage here at the bank.

He went to the common flue and after throwing in a handful of flue powder, he called out, "The Burrow". Then he stepped into the green flames and disappeared.

*(+++++)*

Discussion at the Burrow.

"Bill! Welcome home!" greeted Arthur Weasley as he rose from his chair to hug his eldest son. "I thought you were headed for Egypt?'

"There's a problem I need to talk to you and Mom about."

"A problem?" Arthur asked. He walked quickly to the doorway to the kitchen and called for his wife.

"Molly, Bill's come home from Gringotts for a visit. He needs to talk to us."

"Bill!" shouted multiple voices and the curse-breaker's siblings poured down the rickety staircase as their mother, a smiling red-headed woman came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.

"You missed supper! I'll have to make you bacon and eggs to feed you," she told her son.

"Can I have some?" asked the youngest boy but everyone ignored him.

"I've had supper," Bill explained. "I came home to show you this parchment and explain what it means."

"A parchment?" asked Percy. "Did you get a contract or a report? May I see it?"

Bill nodded and handed the parchment to the third of the six brothers. Slipping around her many brothers, Ginny, his only sister, came to Bill for a hug which he gladly provided.

"This doesn't make sense," Percy said as he handed it to his father with Molly staring over her husband's shoulder reading the parchment as well.

"Compulsion… Harry Potter… Gryffindor… Percy, Fred, George, Ronnikins…" Arthur read aloud before he turned to his wife and asked, "This is your magic. What did you do Molly?"

With a sour look on her face, Molly Weasley muttered, "The poor boy has been in the hands of the goblins for almost three months. He's bound to be confused and Dumbledore wanted to help direct him to the right house at Hogwarts."

"So, Dumbledore asked you to place me under a compulsion charm?" Bill asked.

"He called me on the flue and asked me if I could get you to help the boy," Molly said. "I have used mild compulsion charms on all of you from time to time."

Arthur ignored his wife for a moment and turned back to his eldest son, "What happened?"

Bill frowned but explained, "The compulsion forced me to approach Mr. Potter and talk about how Gryffindor was the only good house… the house where all of my brothers would be, and he would be happy to be with them…"

"That's right!" Ron agreed. "He'll be my best friend and we'll have lots of adventures at Hogwarts!"

Molly frowned when Bill pulled out his wand and cast a spell at Ron and then directed the results onto a scrap of parchment. He handed the parchment to his father.

Then he turned to his mother and explained, "You almost destroyed my career. I could have been cast into the dragon pits to shovel dragon dung for the rest of my contract! The spell you cast on a curse-breaker changed his behaviour – I wasn't acting under my own control. It could have impacted my work and gotten me or someone else killed!"

"It's bad enough that I scared a child in the care of Gringotts Bank. As a consequence, I lost the assignment in Egypt."

"Oh no," Arthur moaned. "You worked so hard to get that job."

"Then you can stay here in England and work at the ministry!" Molly said. "First Charlie runs off to Rumania and then Bill wants to move to Egypt. I'm glad the charm messed up your work."

"I have explained fifty times! My assignment to Egypt would have only been for two or three years, and it would have made my reputation with the goblins. Now…" Only a moment later, Bill shook his head and explained, "Mother, I have been assigned to Iceland for the next year, excavating storage caverns under the mountains there for the goblins."

"Iceland? Cold there, I think," offered one of the twins.

"Land plus ice, I would say so," replied the other.

"Are you going to freeze?" asked Ginny, holding onto Bill's leg.

Bill sat in a chair and pulled Ginny onto his lap, "I will have to wear magical padded clothing, but I won't freeze. I might be able to come home and see you occasionally after your bratty brothers are gone to Hogwarts."

"There then, it's all worked out," Molly said, dismissing the problem and returning to her kitchen.

Arthur followed her with the two parchments, "Molly, this has to stop! You can't use compulsions on the children willy-nilly. You know constant exposure to compulsions lowers a wizard's intelligence! You cost our Bill this assignment he worked to get for over a year just because Albus Dumbledore asked you to!"

"Dumbledore is worried about the boy-who-lived. I had to help the poor boy."

"And you cast one on Ron already to think he's best friends with the boy-who-lived. They've never met!"

"They'll meet on the train and be best friends by the time they reach the castle!"

*(+++++)*

In the lounge, Bill taught Percy, Fred and George the spell to detect and then remove compulsion charms from themselves and others. Ron wasn't interested in learning that spell, so he didn't pay attention while Ginny watched and tried to remember every movement of Bill's hand. Once the boys were taught, Bill used his own wand let Ginny use his wand to practice and cast the spell.

"You're going to be a very strong witch, Ginny," Bill assured his sister.

"What was Harry like, Bill?" asked the girl. "I'm going to marry him someday."

*(+++++)*


	12. Chapter 12

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

What happened to Remus Lupin after that Halloween night in Godric's Hollow? When Albus finds himself in need of temporary assistance with a teaching position, he thinks to use Remus to prop up the Herbology classes. But what has Remus Lupin been up to for the last ten years?

Chapter 12 The Werewolf and The Headmaster

In the months following that Halloween night that saw the end of the Dark Lord, Remus continued his studies at university. One afternoon in late spring 1982, when he'd just completed a paper on the synergies of the economy of the EU, he walked out of the library and immediately noticed two men who were following him. His wand up his sleeve, he began looking around for an alleyway or closed building where he could disappear.

"Lupin! Wait!" called one of the men.

Remus moved to place his back against a brick wall of a classroom building on campus, turned around, and waited for the two men to approach.

"You have good instincts," the first one said as the second one pulled out a wand and quickly cast the 'notice me not' spell on the area.

"What do you want?" Remus asked carefully. "This place is muggle and the ministry can't come here without…"

"We're not Ministry for Magic but we do want to talk," the first man said. "My name is Jasper Hewitt. I was a seventh-year Ravenclaw the year you started at Hogwarts."

He motioned toward the other man who was older and very stern in his appearance, "This is Mr. Andrew Lovett. He graduated from Hogwarts back in the sixties."

For the first time the second man spoke. "I suffered through seven years in Slytherin as a muggleborn. I left Magical Britain the day I graduated and returned to London."

Hewitt added, "I came back to the muggle world after a couple months of getting every door slammed in my face."

"My first task was to complete my muggle education," Lovett said. "Like Hewitt did and like you're doing."

"I'm not muggleborn. I'm half-blood…"

"And a werewolf," Lovett added. "We really need your help."

"I am not going to be a guinea pig for experimentation!" Remus swore, the anger evident in his voice.

Hewitt nodded, "We're very interested in your skills, Lupin. You're the first werewolf to ever attend Hogwarts and to graduate. Whenever a child attending Hogwarts has been bitten and turned, the headmaster always expelled them if their family didn't withdraw them."

"What do you think I can do for you?"

"We're with the government, MI5 to be exact. We want you to help protect the security of the realm from domestic problems," explained Lovett.

"What kind of domestic problems?"

"Like the recently vanished Dark Lord who was a muggleborn named Tom Riddle," Hewitt explained. "The Prime Minister and the Queen were furious about the Deatheater Insurrection when it was confined to the magical community and both women were incandescent when it bled over into the muggle world."

Not sure he understood, Remus asked, "The Queen is aware of magic?"

Both men nodded. "Her Majesty is aware and cares about the security of all her subjects."

"Including werewolves!" Lovett insisted.

"What do you want me to do?"

Hewitt stepped forward with a card. "Come to this address Saturday morning. Show the guard this card and he'll bring you to me."

*(+++++)*

July 1982

Albus Dumbledore reviewed the last reports on the school year that just ended but his mind kept returning to the events of last Halloween – something was missing in his calculations and conclusions about the events of that night – what had Tom missed? And the child surviving had required Albus to think quickly – creating the myth of the boy-who-lived was genius and locking up Black for betraying the Potters was even better. Albus would outlive Arcturus Black and once Sirius succumbed to the pressures of Azkaban, the Black fortune would end up in the Dumbledore pockets.

'_I must see about an heir soon,'_ he decided. _'Sometime in the next twenty years.'_

Without regard to his advanced age, the wizard was certain he would find a way to have an heir when he had time to educate… The matter didn't require additional thought at this time so the headmaster began reading the report on the muggleborns who just graduated.

'_They'll wander back to the muggle world and leave us with our magic. Were there any of them worthwhile of my attention or use?'_ he wondered as he reviewed the list. _'Two may make good healers – always good to have some freelancing healers.'_

For some strange reason, his mind turned to Remus Lupin. _'I must get in touch with my werewolf minion soon… maybe next year… And I'll give him some meaningless task to remind him who is in charge.'_

'_Now, where's my calendar? I'm off to Switzerland for my ICW council soon. And I'll need to stop and visit Gerhardt too.' _

The headmaster snickered as he thought of Grindelwald's reaction each year when he appeared in the castle to gloat – uh – visit.

*(+++++)*

April 1983

The man stepped from the chauffeured vehicle onto a small army base in Wales. The hills around him were covered with fog but the air was clean and fragrant with the smells of the forest and the grasslands that lay beyond the crest of the hills.

"Mr. Lupin, if you'll come this way," a soldier with his rifle slung over his shoulder said politely before turning and leading Remus into a nearby building. It took almost two years of dealing with the men and women from MI5 and army before he'd begun to trust them and not expecting a silver blade in the back.

*(+++++)*

"You have to find the healthy medium," Jasper told him once when Remus asked his fellow wizard how he trusted the muggles. "The people we work with see us first as British, then as a person with additional skills. If you ever work with one who asks you to do keep doing magic tricks, that's one to avoid and report."

"No obliviate spells?"

"Makes us as bad as them," Jasper said as he shook his head, though Remus wasn't sure if the other wizard meant the prejudiced muggles or the prejudiced wizards in the Ministry for Magic.

*(+++++)*

Remus dropped his kit on a bunk in a private room and continued to the commanding officer's office. When he stepped inside the office, he caught the gaze of the grey-haired officer behind the desk. The man quickly looked Remus over and returned to a sheet of paper.

"Mr. Lupin, your bosses at MI5 have recommended you as a consultant on my mission."

"Yes, Colonel Avery," Remus replied.

"You are a half-blood and a werewolf?"

"Yes sir."

The colonel rose and walked around the desk to offer Remus his hand. As they shook, the colonel explained, "I am squib thrown out of the Avery family back in '44. I have a grandson who's a wizard, but I'll be damned if he goes to that backwater. He's going to Beauxbatons and then to Sandhurst!"

"I understand sir," Remus replied.

"Now, how do we hunt werewolves and get them into Her Majesty's rehabilitation program?"

"There are some who will not want to leave the wild life."

The colonel frowned and said, "You reported that they were the minority; that the majority would want to take the opportunity for a regular life."

"They will sir! They will," Remus affirmed. "You and your men will have to kill some of the wild werewolves, sir. They can be insane."

"Understood," the colonel said. "I understand that this Dumbledore fellow believes you are an expert on the werewolves of London."

Now Remus grinned, "That's a pop song from the seventies sir. Werewolves avoid the large urban areas."

*(+++++)*

June 1986

Remus lay on the sofa in his small rental just outside London. The full moon earlier in the month had been almost pleasant with the growing pack that met on the island off the coast of Wales. They had goats to hunt this month – an animal that could run and dodge enough to make the hunt a challenge. In a philosophical moment, he regretted the death of the animals but would argue with any bleeding heart that the wolves hunted for themselves rather than just going to the market for beef, chicken or pork that was butchered in a factory.

There was a pecking on the window in his small kitchen and he rose to open the pane to allow in an owl with a letter.

*(+++++)*

**Remus**

**I need your services. The ministry reports that a werewolf pack is hunting in Glasgow. Go and contact any wolves you find and determine their intentions. Move quickly to protect the statue of secrecy. Let me hear from you before 1 September. **

**Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian ****Dumbledore****, Order of Merlin (first class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot**

*(+++++)*

'_No hello, no how-are-you, just go do this now,' _Remus mused._ 'And look, his list of titles is longer than the rest of the note!' _

*(+++++)*

December 1987

**Remus**

**I must say that I am disappointed in your latest report from Durham. My sources tell me that Greyback and his pack have moved into Weardale Forest near the city and the muggles are in danger. Visiting on a few weekends and scouting the area on a muggle motors-bicycle device is not at all suitable for contacting these dark creatures and talking them into moving away. I insist on more of your time in the area and a detailed report before the end of March. **

**My boy, I must know that I can count on you. **

**Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian ****Dumbledore****, Order of Merlin (first class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot**

*(+++++)*

'_What do you know! A letter that is longer than his list of titles this time…'_ Remus thought before he folded up the parchment to share with his boss on Monday.

*(+++++)*

September 1988

Artemus Flake walked from his office in the Control of Dark Creatures and asked for a meeting with Minister Fudge. He was fortunate that he arrived on a slow day and Cornelius told his secretary to send the Director into his office.

"What can I do for you this morning, Artemus?" Fudge asked his fellow pureblood.

"Minister, we need to investigate something strange."

"We're the Ministry for Magic, Artemus. We do many strange things every day, so you'll need to be more specific."

The director for management of dark creatures looked Cornelius straight in the eye before he said, "Something has happened to our werewolves."

"Werewolves? Whatever do you mean?"

"The reported sightings of werewolves have dropped almost fifty percent in the last year and there have been no reports of attacks in six months."

"No attacks on wizards or on muggles?" asked Cornelius with evident disbelief in his voice.

"No attacks on either." Flake insisted as he showed the reports to the minister. "No Auror reports of hysterical muggles or wizards, no Obliviators going out to clean-up a slaughter or required to change muggle memories…"

"Has anyone claimed the bounty on Greyback?"

"No sir."

"Then what's the problem?" asked the minister.

The director looked embarrassed for a moment before he made his admission, "How do I write my annual report to keep the same budget for next year if the werewolves are behaving."

Cornelius smirked, "Who told you to report this decline? And who knows, they might come back next year. Maybe they just took a vacation to Ireland or to France."

Artemus smiled, "I knew there was a reason you were the minister, Cornelius. Thank you!"

*(+++++)*

August 1990

**Remus**

**The ministry is hiding the fact that the British werewolves have fled the country. Pop over to Ireland and then to France to see if they are creating havoc there among the muggles and magical people. An invasion by werewolves could lead to war for Magical Britain. **

**Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian ****Dumbledore****, Order of Merlin (first class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot**

*(+++++)*

'_Moving to Ireland or France were good choices for werewolves ten years ago,'_ Remus remembered after reading the letter. _'Lovett's intelligence team can create a convincing report for me to send to Dumbles… I have to concentrate of Greyback's location in Cornwall. We've got him cornered but that makes him even more dangerous.' _

*(+++++)*

05 September 1991

The owl flew around the non-descript government office for five minutes before it found the special delivery window. It flew into the fifth-floor office until it came to a neatly dressed man working with a computer at a neat desk. It landed on a bookcase and hooted politely to capture the man's attention.

Looking up from his report on the growing ability of the Crown Wolves to change into a full wolf form rather than the traditional were creature form, Remus Lupin was surprized to find the owl carried a letter for him.

'_Bother! I need to complete this report – werewolves can simply transform into true wolves during the full moon and I hope that soon it's just an animagus transformation for me and the others,'_ Remus thought. _'We've changed the world!'_

Detaching the letter and quickly recognizing the handwriting of the sender, Remus pointed to a large perch with water and treats in the far corner of the room.

"Wait for a reply," he commanded and turned back without another thought for the bird.

'_What does Dumbledore want now?'_ he wondered.

*(+++++)*

**Remus**

**My boy, an unfortunate situation has arisen for dear Hogwarts. I am not certain if you are aware of current events in our Magical World as often you are lost in a muggle existence, but there was a devastating fire here at the school on 1 August. There was much damage to the roof and the floors, so much so that the school year has been delayed until 1 October to begin. **

**During our repairs in August, Professor Sprout was injured, and though her arm and back have healed, she does not have something the healers call 'full-range of motion'. She must continue with potions and something else called 'Physical Therapy' until after the first of the year. **

**She will be able to maintain her role of head of house for Hufflepuff and do some classroom instruction, but she is unable to complete all the manual labour needed in the greenhouses. You know how much Hogwarts depends on our greenhouses to defray the costs of potion ingredients and I want you to fill the position of Assistant Professor of Herbology from 15 September until 31 December of this year. **

**I am certain you will be pleased with the renumeration for the position as well as to spend three months in dear Hogwarts.**

**I expect to greet you on the morning of 15 September when Professor Sprout will instruct you on your duties. All special arrangements remain the same from when you were a student. **

**Cordially, **

**Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster…**

*(+++++)*

'_He must be desperate. That's the longest letter he's ever written to me.'_ Remus thought though he didn't bother reading the full list of the headmaster's titles, but he did fold the letter up and immediately head for Lovett's office to share the letter.

After his boss read the letter and they discussed the request, the questions turned to the effect of Lupin's absence would have on the rest of the werewolf pack that now all worked in the Muggle world.

"Any new developments?" asked Lovett.

The werewolf grinned and said, "The Queens Wolves are strong. Most of the men and women change into wolves now rather than the werewolf form. The island is our hunting ground, and no one misses a night. We've added three more members since Greyback and his pack were eliminated last fall."

Lovett nodded. "The amnesty only lasts another full moon and then all rogue werewolves are targets for the army teams during the full moon."

"How soon will the rest of the pack be able to turn into wolves rather than the werewolf form?"

"The youngest ones take only a couple months."

"And the oldest ones may never change?" asked his boss.

"Possibly never," Remus agreed. "But they are under the control of the different alpha wolves and they join the hunt and only fight with each other if the catch is not big enough to feed everyone."

Lovett considered the letter from Dumbledore again and lifted it to draw his subordinate's attention. "Would this assignment in Scotland cause you to regress without your pack around on the full moon?"

Remus grinned and pulled out the portkey he carried around his neck. "On the night of the full moon, I will go to the Shrieking Shack and then portkey to the island for my transformation with my pack. The next morning, I would apparate back."

"Would you have enough energy after the transformation? If I remember correctly, the Ministry of Magic encourages hit wizards to hunt werewolves the morning after the full moon because they are helpless for several hours."

"And that was true before the Queens Wolves reformed the transformation with meditation and adopting more true pack qualities."

Lovett wasn't interested in the private lives of the werewolf pack and he appreciated the success of the program. 'Wild werewolves' had been eliminated from Great Britain this year, and this generation would be the last of the magical creatures in the kingdom. They didn't pass the condition on to their children and they were very protective of the young born to the muggle and magical wives of the pack members.

*(+++++)*

A Government Plan

Two days later, Remus was called into Lovett's office once again and when he arrived, Jasper Hewitt was present. In the years that Remus worked with MI5, he'd encounter Hewitt occasionally; the muggleborn wizard worked with other muggleborns who returned to the muggle world after Hogwarts.

"Jasper! It's good to see you," Remus greeted the other wizard with honest enthusiasm.

"Remus, I hear you've just about worked yourself out of a job by civilizing the wild weres. Congratulations are certainly in order!"

"Our twenty-year plan has been condensed down to ten most successfully,' Lovett admitted. "And Lupin was the key."

"Why am I here today if the wolves have been handled?" asked Jasper.

"There is a new opportunity for Lupin, and it dovetails nicely with your request to reach out to the muggleborn attending Hogwarts."

"What are you wanting to do?" Remus asked Hewitt.

Jasper explained, "We want to convince the muggleborn to continue their muggle studies throughout their time at Hogwarts, rather than them cramming it in after graduation. We want more of the muggleborn to attend university and obtain degrees in medicine, science and engineering."

The werewolf was thoughtful before he said, "We'll need to be quiet and not attract the attention of the headmaster."

Nodding Jasper continued, "We're thinking something along the lines of 'clubs' for English, maths, and science. And we want to reach out to the muggleborn parents and organize them into a support group."

Lovett explained, "Her Majesty asked MI5 to explore ways to help the muggleborn during the time they are at Hogwarts and this is what we came up with."

"The Queen went around the PM?" asked Remus. He'd studied the nation's constitutional monarchy for many years now and understood the restraints on the monarch's powers.

Hewitt grinned and explained, "Mr. Major is in agreement with the crown on this matter."

Then Remus explained the temporary position he'd been invited to hold at Hogwarts this fall.

"Marvellous! You'll be able to identify all the muggleborns and their home address!" Jasper said.

Now Remus uncomfortably rubbed his neck as he explained, "That will have to be done carefully. During the Deatheater Insurrection, the terrorist wizards collected the addresses of the muggleborn from Hogwarts or the Ministry, and then would attack and kill the entire family. Dumbledore would squash me like a bug if he thought I collected addresses in the muggle world."

"Maybe you can have the kids write to their parents about getting in touch with each other," Jasper said. "It will be baby steps, but it can be done."

"You're both missing something; something wizards won't understand," Lovett said as the two other wizards glanced his way. "If Remus can just collect the names of the muggleborns, we can find the families through income tax records. The Ministry for Magic doesn't collect income tax or property tax; they just collect sales taxes."

Remus asked, "Why haven't you ruined their government by showing the purebloods how much cheaper things are in our world then?"

Jasper smiled after hearing Remus's words about 'our world'. Dumbledore had lost the werewolf's loyalty completely.

*(+++++)*

Before You Leave for Hogwarts

The next week MI5 began prepping Remus for his reconnaissance mission into the Magical World. First he spent half of a day with the MI5 'dressers' about his clothing for the trip to Hogwarts.

"I am supposed to be a struggling wizard, not a hobo!" he argued when they dressed in him ragged wizard robes. "These were the style back before the Grindelwald war… Even a beggar in Diagon Alley would have better robes than this."

"But we want to illicit sympathy from the other staff members and the students," replied the woman leading the team of 'dressers'.

"You need to review the file on the magical community!" Remus insisted. "They judge people on their blood line, their clothing styles, and their manners."

"You're a werewolf," the woman argued. "What do you care what they think?"

Remus stopped and looked around him; the dressers all sorted through rags and junk. "No, this is a test and I just passed. Now get the real robes or I will go to Lovett and complain!"

"I thought werewolves only got touchy around the full moon," the woman snorted as she motioned for an assistant to bring out the slightly used but adequate robes.

"And you can wear the best of muggle brands to attract the attention of the muggleborn children there," the woman said. "Your personal wardrobe is suitable."

"You went through my wardrobe?"

"I was in Hufflepuff," she reminded him. "Puffs see and remember everything!"

After completing his wardrobe and refurbishing his old trunk from his school years with featherlight and new expansion charms, Remus gathered a score of pads and journals that he would give out with muggle pens that resembled quills enough to fool anyone not looking too closely.

It was the briefing with his boss and Jasper Hewitt that staggered Remus. He arrived at Lovett's office to discover the two men waiting for him with a third, very short person in a Saville Row suite that cost more than all the clothes Remus owned.

Jasper stood and made the introductions, "Remus Lupin, may I introduce an ally."

"Please Mr. Hewitt," Lupin replied.

"This is Bank Director Ragnock of the British branch of the Goblin Hordes."

Remus bowed his head. "Director, I am honoured to be in council with you this day."

"Pleasant words, wolf," the glamoured goblin replied without malice in his words.

Now the werewolf grinned, displaying his teeth and greeting and the goblin returned the favour by grinning with his teeth glittering in the light of the office.

"If you two are through comparing your dicks, can we get to work?" asked Lovett.

The goblin glanced at Hewitt and asked, "What is this 'dicks'?"

Remus managed to keep from laughing as Jasper said, "It's a saying among human males about determining who is the alpha male."

"Ah, in Gringotts we say, 'compare axes', nothing so crude as the reproductive organs," the goblin smirked.

"Well to work," Jasper said as he turned to Remus. "The director has come to us with a disturbing report. MI5 and our allies in Gringotts have an additional mission for you at Hogwarts."

"I will be glad to help in any way…"

"Gringotts works with the Queen's government covertly. We dread the day the Ministry for Magic discovers our association," the director said without any sincerity. "We expect the Aurors to advance on the lobby and attempt to breach our defences but there'll be many fewer Aurors after that day."

"No doubt," Remus agreed.

Without waiting for Hewitt or Lovett to participate in the conversation, Ragnock continued, "We've been made aware that His Deviousness Albus Dumbledore makes contact with you occasionally asking you to perform meaningless or dangerous tasks."

Remus tried to hold back the laughter at the description of the headmaster but he wasn't totally successful. "He does. Mr. Lovett and others in this office read every letter from the headmaster. For the past few years, our intelligence team has composed every reply though I do put quill to paper to authenticate the letter."

"Very good," the goblin said. "Now, I understand the reason you have been recruited for a three-month term at Hogwarts is because Professor Sprout needs more time to recover from her injuries."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore indicated that she was injured during the fire on 1 August."

The goblin shook his head and said, "Never believe anything that is implied in communication from Albus Dumbledore."

All three wizards sat up to hear the details of the goblin's news.

"On 1 August, a wizard made a brazen attempt to rob Gringotts. He was trapped inside the vault he tried to rob and drew the attention of the wards by attempted to apparate out. The wards began to drain his magic and it took thirty minutes for the wards to finish him."

"Thirty minutes," Remus stated. "How could he last that long? And it must have been excruciatingly painful."

Ragnock explained, "We believe the thief drew on other sources of magic to remain alive. Once these other sources of magic were drained, they ignited the magical fires that caused so much trouble for the Ministry for Magic to contain."

Jasper nodded, "The Daily Prophet reported a fire at a magical home in London, one in another magical home in Wiltshire, and finally the fire at Hogwarts."

Inclining his head in agreement, the goblin continued, "There were two other magical fires that day – the ruins of another magical home in the north of England burned and spread dangerously close to a muggle town called Little Hangleton. The deserted manor house of a dead muggle family in the minor aristocracy was also burned."

"And the last fire?" asked Lovett.

Ragnock frowned and explained, "Actually it was the first fire we knew about because it erupted and consumed the contents of a vault in Gringotts. Thankfully, our fire suppression wards were at full strength and contained the fire to the single vault."

"What is the connection for all these locations, director?" asked Lovett.

"Except for Hogwarts, each location was the home or vault of a Deatheater or the Dark Lord's family…"

*(+++++)*

Connecting the Dark Dots

"The Dark Lord's family?" asked Jasper. He shuddered and said, "Of course, I knew he started out as human but the photos in the last ten years show him as a monster."

"The Dark Lord was born Tom Marvolo Riddle in the late 1920s. He was orphaned and raised in a muggle orphanage until he went to Hogwarts in 1938. He was popular in Slytherin house and with the faculty. I believe they even made him head boy in 1945 or 1946."

"James was head boy in our seventh year," Remus remembered. The director tilted his head to one side before he asked, "Would you like to know something about that appointment?"

The three wizards looked confused for a moment but then Remus nodded.

"Fleamont Potter was a fairly honest wizard but he did spoil that boy shamelessly. At the conclusion of your sixth year at Hogwarts, the Potters contributed thirty thousand galleons to Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix in late July. The next week, it was announced that James Potter would be head boy for the next year with the girl he was pursuing, Lily Evans, as head girl."

"So?" Remus asked.

"According to grades and class achievement, you should have been head boy," Ragnock said. The werewolf was conflicted for a moment but then he shrugged off the resentment and hurt.

"It never would have happened," he told the others. "Too many people knew about my 'furry little problem'. I was a prefect for three years and I know I earned that on my own merits."

"Enough tests," growled Lovett. "Lupin has proven himself time and time again. Now tell us how the fires are connected."

The goblin nodded and began listing each magical fire.

"The fire in Gringotts occurred in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the Dark Lord's most trusted lieutenants."

"The fire in Wiltshire burned down the manor home of Lucius Malfoy, a principal financial backer of the Dark Lord, despite his claims of the imperious curse afterwards."

"The fire in London destroyed the ancestral Black family home in the city. Lord Arcturus Black lives in a hidden manor home somewhere in England and the only magical casualty that day was Walburga Black, widow of Orion Black and mother of Sirius Black."

"The fire in Little Hangleton erupted in the ruins of a shack that had been home to the Gaunt family, an inbred family claiming descent for Salazar Slytherin. In the 1920's a squib daughter seduced the son of the local squire, a muggle named Tom Riddle. Once married and pregnant, she failed to consider the muggle's revulsion to learn he'd been tricked into marriage with love potions. The entire Riddle family was wiped out mysteriously in 1943 and the blame settled on the only surviving member of the Gaunt family. He was sent to Azkaban and died there."

"And Hogwarts?" asked Lovett. "How did the fire start there?"

The goblin shrugged, "Riddle may have loved his time at Hogwarts and hidden a treasure there. He left other treasures with his most devote followers and hid one in the ruins of his mother's home as some convoluted way to honour her memory."

"How does a thief in Gringotts relate to these fires?" Remus asked, leaning back in his chair while gripping the arms of his chair tightly.

"Why the thief was the Dark Lord – in some form or other," Ragnock explained. "Our magic users think his spirit had possessed a willing wizard and came to Gringotts seeking immortality."

"Immortality?" asked Lovett.

"How?" asked Hewitt.

Remus leaned forward once again, as Ragnock explained, "The day after the fires and attempted theft in the bank, we opened the door of Dumbledore's vault and found some ashes and this stone."

The goblin lay a small, red stone with many small runes carved into the surface of the stone.

Remus stared at the stone and after two minutes, he said, "The runes were carved when the stone was larger. An incantation would have been required to shrink it while maintaining the continuity of the carvings."

"Very likely," Ragnock replied. "If I can ever get a letter delivered to the owner, I shall ask him that question before returning his stone to him."

"And that owner would be?"

"Nicholas Flammel…" Ragnock and Remus replied simultaneously.

*(+++++)*

"That's the Philosopher's Stone? Immortality and unlimited amounts of gold!" Jasper said, sliding his chair away from the stone.

"Put that thing away… please," asked Lovett. "How can anyone think such a thing is good."

Remus explained, "Writers who have never spoken to Flammel but who have studied the history of five hundred years ago point out that life was extremely short then. You were old at forty and lost most of your children before they turned five years. Gold could buy anything – food, freedom, favours."

"Yes, but to live for five centuries…" Lovett shuddered.

The goblin lifted the red stone and slipped it back into a hidden pocket on his coat.

"What do you want from Remus during his time at Hogwarts?" asked Jasper.

Ragnock again tilted his head before answering. "Listen and hear if Dumbledore mentions a great treasure… something that would tempt the Dark Lord to breach the wards of the castle."

"Has the headmaster asked about his vault?" asked Remus.

"No. He sent Rubeus Hagrid to collect the contents on 31 July but Hagrid decide to remain at the bank as our new dragon handler."

"Dragon handler?"

"Yes. And in the month of August one of Hagrid's pets got loose inside Hogwarts and that's how Professor Sprout was injured. Dumbledore didn't mention that the Mediwitch Poppy Pomphrey lost her right arm to the creature and has been removed to St. Mungo's."

"Pomphrey lost her arm? What kind of creature was it?"

"A Cerberus; big bright red thing I understand from the report of the ten Aurors it took to kill the beast."

"Hogwarts is certainly going to be exciting this year," Lovett said watching Remus for a reaction.

The werewolf shrugged, "There was a werewolf there for all seven years I attended. He never hurt me…"

The other three laughed raggedly and parted ways.

*(+++++)*


	13. Chapter 13 Pawns on Chessboard

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The staff at Hogwarts make the final preparations to welcome the children and young adults with a sorting to remember. Various witches and wizards consider what will be different with the coming school year.

Chapter 13 Pawns on the Board at Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore felt the wards tingle, informing him that someone new had just entered Hogwarts. It was the morning of 15 September and the headmaster expected the wards to notify him that a dark creature was present when the werewolf Remus Lupin passed through the gates, but this individual was not a dark, cursed wizard that he could play as a pawn on the chess board that was Hogwarts.

The headmaster hurried from his office to the entrance hall to discover the identity of this stranger and fell silent when he saw that the new arrival was indeed Remus Lupin. Another pawn, Pomona Sprout, welcomed Remus Lupin to the castle with poorly concealed glee to have her teaching assistant arrive. Casting wandless spells to detect the presence of Polyjuice or glamours, Dumbledore's surprizes continued when all his spells found nothing except for the former Gryffindor prefect, standing there in slightly worn robes and looking very healthy.

"Professor Dumbledore, come and greet my Associate Professor for this fall term," Sprout said enthusiastically. Her recovery and physical therapy were progressing but the healer from Gringotts refused to release her. Remembering Remus from his years at Hogwarts, Pomona knew the werewolf would provide the labour need to allow the greenhouses to continue to produce the items needed for potions as well as helping lead the physical lessons with pots, soils and seedlings.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Remus said with a bow though there was no offer of a handshake – unrelated wizards did not touch in social situations.

"Remus, it is good to see you after all these years," Dumbledore replied though he barely tipped his head in acknowledgement.

Both Sprout and Lupin noted that the headmaster used the wizard's first name without permission and the slight dip of his head was hardly the proper greeting for a new staff member.

"Pomona, I am certain that you have a long list of items to cover with Remus. Put him to work this afternoon," the headmaster said. "Now, you'll have to forgive me… I need to step over the warding room and check the wards before the children return."

Sprout's face was calm as she replied, "Certainly Albus, I remember Mr. Lupin's capabilities in the greenhouses well when he was a star pupil. Go play with your wards…"

The head of Hufflepuff house stared down the headmaster and the old wizard left without another word. However, there was a smile on her face when she turned to Remus and motioned for him to follow her.

"Where is your trunk?" she asked as they left the entrance hall for the door on the other side of the castle leading to the greenhouses.

Remus patted his coat pocket. "Shrinking charm; something we should teach all the children."

"There are many things we should teach the children but the curriculum hasn't changed in forty years… at least!"

Sprout showed Remus to his quarters, a furnished apartment near the door leading to the greenhouses.

"I requested this room to place you away from the hallways the students use the most during the day. There shouldn't be any students outside these doors after dark; any mischief makers in this hallway after dark are certain up to no good. During the day, they will pass your door going back and forth from the greenhouses. There is a classroom right beside the door where I hold lectures and an office beside it for your use if you need to meet with any student."

"Excellent," Remus replied. "And I will document any meeting with any student for your records."

"Good," the witch replied. "Drop off your trunk and change into work clothes. We have several jobs in the dirt and with plants to prepare for the students on the first."

*(+++++)*

Staring at the ward stones and the magic that rose from them at his command, Dumbledore was perplexed. The ward that notified him of any dark creature or person with the Dark Lord's mark on their arm was functioning perfectly. He 'poked' the ward with his wand and felt the twinge that bounced back from Severus Snape in the dungeons.

'_Why didn't Remus show up as a werewolf?'_ the headmaster wondered. _'This can't be right…'_

He fiddled with the wards for poisons, ill-intent, and rape. Each of the wards was unpowered but could be brought up to full power easily with a few motions of his wand.

*(+++++)*

In the Library

Irma Pince debated with herself several days before she made the final decision about 'the books.' She had been on vacation in Paris when the news of the fire at Hogwarts was published in the local papers. Once Minerva McGonagall assured Pince that 'her' library was undamaged during a long-distance flue-call, the witch completed her week in the city of lights and then began a leisurely return to Scotland on muggle trains. At the channel, she apparated across to Dover – Irma never enjoyed the choppy waters of the 'la Manche' as the French called the narrow body of water separating Britain from the rest of Europe.

She'd read where the British and the French were building – digging actually – a tunnel underneath the English Channel to connect Britain to Europe. The tunnel would allow trains to travel back and forth without the need for ferries or boats. Irma intended to take that train ride someday though none of her magical colleagues would believe her story afterwards.

Upon her return to Hogwarts and determining for herself that none of the school's collection of ancient scrolls, handwritten manuscripts, or rare printed books from earlier centuries had been damaged by smoke, flames, or water, Irma began her regular activities of preparing for the opening of school, now delayed until 1 October.

As she hurried to complete the innumerable tasks faithfully and correctly, Irma passed the 'returns' table twice without noticing the stack of books there; the table should be empty this time of year. On her third trip passing the table with several new books in her arms to add to the magical card catalogue, Irma noticed the condition of the spines of the books.

'_How horrible! Who let these books get so dirty?'_ she fussed in her mind. _'None of my elves would…'_

Remembering Minerva's bad news after the fire, Irma's lips pressed together in disapproving frown, somehow the headmaster allowed a dozen house elves to burn to death fighting the fire. _'The fire suppression ward wasn't at full power! If the governors knew that…'_

The house elves loved Irma and her endless orders to clean and dust the thousands of books in the library. Each week, the elves faithfully wiped each shelf and book clean with gentle, lint free towels and banished each speck of dust to the greenhouses.

Once Irma updated the card catalogue and then shelved the new books appropriately, she returned to the table with the dusty books and picked up the top-most book.

'_A Thousand Special Herbs for Potions',_ she read silently. _'What's this? Our copy disappeared twenty years ago! Where has it been?' _

Glancing through the book's many beautifully hand-coloured illustrations and detailed descriptions that were written a century before, she muttered, "Severus Snape ordered this book for the library every year but Albus never approved the acquisition because _'there are too many deadly plants listed between the covers'_."

She sneered. "More like the five hundred galleon price limited his purchase of those hideous robes."

Irma glanced through the other books and found four transfiguration masterpieces, history texts that argued against the ministry's positions, and three priceless handwritten books; the first on charms by Rowena Ravenclaw, the second on herbology by Helga Hufflepuff, and third the only book Godric Gryffindor ever wrote – a collection of bawdy limericks more suited to the tavern than a library.

'_Well, no one will take them out of the library again!' _she swore as she summoned one of the elderly house elves and together, they added the library's special charms to protect the books.

For two days she debated silently about how to handle the reappearance of the important and valuable texts before finally deciding. Once again, Irma summoned the old elf who supervised the elves in the castle. They turned one of the unused rooms in the back of the library as a new 'reading room' where students could take a book from the shelf and read it at a desk in the room but couldn't remove the book from the room.

"I want you to assign an elf to monitor this room even when the students are not here," Irma told the elf. "I realized who had the books and he'll want them back if he ever figures out where they are."

The elf nodded but uncharacteristically said nothing.

"The reading room will be more restricted than the 'restricted section'!" the librarian stated firmly.

"Missy Prince places these books into the reading rooms." affirmed the elf. "Everyone can read but no one can remove."

"Yes, and we won't announce them in the new book list… I will share the news slowly over the year with the professors."

*(+++++)*

Headmaster's Office

His office still smelled of smoke from the fire in August but the headmaster valued the effect the location had on visitors as they rose above the rest of the castle on the rotating staircase, the view from the windows… and the security the rooms gave him.

'_What was a little smoky smell?'_

The portraits of the headmasters remained asleep as they repaired themselves from heat and smoke damage when the fire flashed through the office and burned the headmaster's gaudy robes. Phineas Black had deserted his portrait frame while it was repaired. Dumbledore hoped the man's portrait was lost forever as the only other frame the former headmaster had was in the Black home in London that burned the same day.

The fire destroyed multiple prized possessions and Albus continued to dwell on the lost items; the pensive had been full of valuable memories, and the books lost were tomes of great magic he'd planned to explore someday. He'd removed the books from the library over the last twenty years to protect the minds of the children from dangerous information.

Most disappointing, the fire destroyed the Potter cloak of invisibility – he'd had Elder Wand for almost fifty years and the second of the three Deathly Hallows in his possession for ten years but without any hints from them on the location of the third hallow. The cloak would not work for him for some reason, no matter how much he studied the damn thing.

'_Argh! Why are things so difficult sometimes?'_ he complained in his mind. _'The Hallows are not supposed to be able to be destroyed!'_

Sighing he turned his attention to the new school year starting in just two weeks. The test for the imposter Harry Potter was in place off the third-floor corridor. He would see if the boy could 'save' the Philosopher's Stone from a dark wizard.

'_I shall drop hints to Potter and his new best friend, Ron Weasley, that there were professors with dark intentions in the school,'_ he thought. Severus would play the part perfectly and Dumbledore would make certain the children realized there was something strange about man in the greenhouses as soon as the full moon came about. Consulting the calendar. Dumbledore frowned when he found the next full moon would occur in another eight days.

He shrugged and informed the office's silent walls, "Oh dear, a full moon is coming up on 23 September. Pomona will be angry the next morning when Remus doesn't report for work. The children will see the effects of the curse three times; 23 October, 21 November and 21 December…'

The headmaster paused for a moment and looked at his school calendar. _'To make up for the lost month of September, we will have the leaving feast for the holidays on the 22 December and leave from Hogsmeade on 23 December.' _

The headmaster hoped that three months would be enough time for Potter to realize the man was a dark creature and to decide the werewolf was after the stone.

'_Can Harry save the stone? Well, a reasonably facsimile of the Philosopher's Stone,'_ he mused. _'Only Nicholas would know it was false when he tried to use it again.'_

He frowned, _'How will I ever get the real stone back from the goblins? Vicious, unpredictable creatures! They were supposed to send Hagrid and the boy to the dragon pits that day! Not make the stupid giant into a dragon keeper or help the boy. He can't be real! He just can't…'_

'_And when will Tom make another appearance? I know Quirrell was possessed by the spirit but what happened to drive him away?'_

Pushing back from his desk, Dumbledore rose to wander about his office as he considered the possibilities.

'_What will the boy-who-lived be like after two months with those devils?'_ Dumbledore mused as he considered the sleeping portraits of the former headmasters and the other fixtures in his office. Then his eyes landed upon the Sorting Hat, sleeping peacefully and waiting for the arrival of the children on the first.

'_The sorting hat! What will happen when it tries to sort an imposter?'_

Now, the headmaster proceeded to talk himself into a panic as his imagination ran wild; what if the fake Harry Potter had been talked into being Slytherin? Or any house except for Gryffindor? What if the goblins were fostering their own fake Harry Potter? Occasionally his mind considered the most impossible option; what if the boy really was the child of James and Lily Potter?

'_Is that possible? Is 'Harry Potter' a real boy?'_

On the last day of July, there had been no outrage from the goblins about Hagrid and the boy attempting to access the vault for the Potter heir. More importantly, there'd been no announcement from the ministry that the boy-who-lived had died at the hands of the goblins.

The next day when the fire erupted in Hogwarts, Dumbledore took his eye off the Gringotts situation – there were Aurors, school governors, the press, and curious wizards just showing up and expecting to be allowed to inspect his castle! In early September came the terse letter from Ollivander – the boy didn't take the yew and phoenix feather wand that Albus had charmed so carefully.

'_When Tom returns, this Harry Potter won't have the advantage of the brother wand in his duels. It may all be over very soon,'_ Dumbledore decided.

As if it were reading his thoughts, his familiar began to honk, the strange sound that substituted for laughter by the magical bird. He ignored the moody creature – except for the speed of transportation, the phoenix was more trouble than it was worth.

*(+++++)*

Wrecking Minerva's World

Minerva McGonagall was a terse witch; her mastery in transfiguration opened the world for her but she chose to devote herself to teaching several generations of wizards and witches at Hogwarts without any consideration for a personal life.

Sprout and Pomphrey had long ago decided she carried a torch for the headmaster that had never been fulfilled. Flitwick appreciated McGonagall's professionalism and didn't bother with rumours of unrequited love.

When Dumbledore summoned his deputy to his office in late September, Minerva expected an ordinary request concerning preparations for the school year but Albus made the most unique request since October 1981 when he sent her to spy on some muggles in Surrey.

*(+++++)*

"Ah, Minerva, good morning," Albus greeted his faithful 'bishop' as she stepped from the stairs and onto the carpets that covered the stone floors of this tower.

"Yes, Albus, how can I be of assistance?" the deputy headmistress asked as she moved to stand in front of the large desk that dominated the office.

"There's a situation that I just became aware of and I need your help."

The witch waited patiently; the headmaster would get to the point when he was ready, not before. She'd known Albus Dumbledore since she was eleven years old and he seldom spoke clearly on any subject.

"During breakfast, I overheard Pomona speaking with Healer Troutman that she would be meeting young Mr. Potter at Gringotts after lunch to take the boy-who-lived to get his school robes."

"He's waited this late to get his robes?" Minerva asked. "Is there a problem with his money?"

"No, no… I am certain his money is well in hand at Gringotts."

Minerva waited a moment longer before she asked, "And what would you have me do?"

*(+++++)*

Once Minerva left his office to gather her cloak, Albus rose to gather his own. His plan was to apparate to Crawley and collect the Granger girl. Once the child was charmed with the information Albus wanted shared with Harry Potter, Minerva and the future Gryffindor student would haunt Diagon Alley until they found the boy-who-lived. Both witches would extol the virtues of Gryffindor House and direct the boy toward Dumbledore's plans.

But before he left his office, Albus had a moment of inspiration about moving additional pawns about the chess board. He hurried to the flue where he threw in powder, knelt, and called out, "The Burrow! Molly are you home?"

Almost immediately, a motherly woman's head appeared in the green flames. She smiled and quickly greeted the headmaster saying, "Albus! How are you? I'm about to pull out my hair with the boys still here in September…"

"Yes, yes… Molly, I need your help."

"Certainly, Albus. What can I do to help you?" asked the woman.

"Isn't your oldest son employed at Gringotts?"

The red-headed woman shook her head with evident disappointment. "Don't remind me… yes, Bill's still working for the goblins. I keep telling him to get a job at the ministry. That's what all good purebloods do!"

"Yes, yes. Now here's what I need you to do… This is to help Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter!" exclaimed the excitable witch.

"He's been locked up with the goblins for two full months or more. I fear the boy is trapped in those dank, underground caverns; I am certain the child is counting the days until he can escape to Hogwarts."

"Oh, the poor dear! Of course, Albus. You only had to ask."

*(+++++)*

At the staff table that evening, Sprout had a furious whispered conversation with Flitwick that Dumbledore ignored. Professor McGonagall's complexion altered between bright red and deathly white – she was embarrassed and furious at the same time.

"Minerva, whatever is the problem this evening?" Albus asked before the desserts were served. His deputy had not spoken to anyone for the entirety of the meal.

Remembering Pomona's words from Diagon Alley earlier in the day, McGonagall felt the scales fall from her eyes; _'Placing compulsion charms on a muggleborn? Attempting to influence a child before the sorting? Are you daft or are you so blinded by love for that old… Will you never see that you're nothing to him but a chess piece? You'll never be his 'queen', no matter what you sacrifice!'_

Silently, the transfiguration professor rose and towered over the headmaster for a moment with her wand in her hand, before a single tear fell down her cheek. With great control over her emotions, Minerva McGonagall turned and fled the Great Hall.

Albus looked at the other senior members of his staff and asked, "Did Minerva lose a loved one today? She hasn't said anything about anyone being ill…"

Sprout took a sip from her teacup and didn't comment though Flitwick, a potential rook on Dumbledore's chess board, murmured, "I understand she had an eventful afternoon. Perhaps she did lose a loved one today. We'll see what develops."

Mystified by the diminutive professor's words, Dumbledore turned back to his delicious lemony tarts and some tea. Severus Snape and Healer Troutman, both rebellious pawns in the headmaster's games, exchanged glances but otherwise chose to stay out of the drama at the table. At the other end of the table, Remus, yet another pawn, kept silent as well but he already had interesting developments to share with his boss at MI5.

*(+++++)*

Medical Problems

Before he could escape from the Great Hall, Albus was trapped by the healer forced upon him by St. Mungo's! The man presented the headmaster with lists of expensive items that were required to properly stock the infirmary and a long list of examinations that would have to be completed on each student.

"I am certain we have a healthy group of children arriving on the first. This is unnecessary…" Dumbledore tried to argue but Healer Troutman refused to back down.

"If St. Mungo's standards are not satisfied by the tenth of October, then the school will close again! The records indicate you've had epidemics of wizard flu here every October since 1969! You don't examine the muggleborn students properly and even the purebloods have been caught ignoring the mandated vaccinations!"

"But it is so expensive," Dumbledore whined. He caught himself quickly but not before Flitwick and Snape both heard the plaintive tone.

Troutman continued, "And I will have two assistants here from the first until the tenth to assist with the examinations – a witch to help with the young women and a wizard to help with the young men."

"Again, an unnecessary expense!" argued Dumbledore.

Healer Troutman paused a moment before he asked, "How did you keep this school open with just Mediwitch Pomphrey? Do you know I examined all the Hogwarts records since you became headmaster and I discovered that on average, one child dies at Hogwarts every year! That's almost fifty children dead and you still tell everyone that Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain."

"There are many challenges for magical children," Dumbledore replied, wondering if he could destroy those records.

Troutman remained professional but inside he smirked before explaining, "The ICW was very interested in that fact when I sent all the records to their education department… you remember Clarice Espinosa don't you? She's been arguing for the last twenty years that Hogwarts is not the finest educational institution in the magical world. Now she's got proof."

After that pronouncement, the healer walked away quietly, ruining the rest of Dumbledore's evening.

*(+++++)*

The next morning was tense in the Great Hall during breakfast; Minerva still refused to speak to Dumbledore, and Troutman sat with his back to the wall so the headmaster could not approach him from behind to obliviate or charm him. Sprout, Flitwick and Remus spoke quietly without involving the others at the table.

Then Auror Alistair Moody stomped into the Great hall on his wooden leg and his pronouncements ruined Dumbledore's morning.

"Good morning, Alistair. How can I help you today?" Albus asked the disabled Auror who was without doubt a powerful knight in the chess games.

"Albus, Director Bones assigned me with job of Professor for the DADA classes this year. Where are the lesson plans from when I taught back in 1968?" the Auror asked gruffly with his magical eye watching each twitch of the headmaster's mouth and eyes.

"Times have changed since then Alistair," Dumbledore tried to argue.

The scared Auror spit on the clean floor before snarling, "I saw the pablum you've let the last six idiots teach who held the job. I'm going to give the kids a decent set of lessons for once and then you'll be in trouble next year when you try to put a jackass into the position!"

Then the Auror demanded, "Why haven't you ever tried to find out why no one lasts more than a single year as DADA professor?"

Albus Dumbledore was dumbfounded by Moody's suggestion and remained silent too long. Even in wizarding chess, the pieces didn't argue with you this viciously.

The Auror shook his head dismissively of the headmaster and expressed his opinion aloud, "You're growing senile, Albus!"

*(+++++)*

The morning owls began arriving with the Daily Prophet and personal correspondence for the professors. Ignoring the owls, Dumbledore tried to think of ways to overcome Moody's considerable investigative skills – the man would figure out his test for the boy-who-lived in the first week and then spoil everything.

Albus never noticed the other professors around him step away before the howler from Bill Weasley exploded in his face.

*(+++++)*

Harry heads to Hogwarts in the next chapter with Hedwig and his wand. He'll make friends and begin his education with magic.

*(+++++)*

Author Notes: Thanks for everyone's kind comments and reviews of 'Who is Harry Potter?' Allow me to clear up one point: Voldemort (Tom Riddle) and his horcruxes are gone, dead, kaput. The wards in Gringotts fried Quirrell and the shade of Voldemort in the Gringotts vault on 1 August. As the wards attacked Quirrell-Voldemort, the Dark Lord's magic tried to remain alive by pulling the magic from his horcruxes that were purposed with keeping him alive.

Fulfilling Trelawny's prophecy, the Dark Lord died by the hand of the son of a couple who'd defined the Dark Lord on the three occasions mandated by the prophecy. (Harry slammed the vault door shut, triggering the wards to examine the wizard trapped inside). This son (Harry Potter) was 'born' via the blood adoption on 31 July 1991 in the ritual room at the bank using the blood of James and Lily kept in stasis for ten years.

And Dumbledore doesn't know, nor would he believe, that the Dark Lord is gone, dead, kaput. There will be an investigation into the mysterious magical fires during Harry's second year but Dumbledore won't believe the evidence because it doesn't fit with his ideas.


	14. Chapter 14 Hogwarts Express

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

On 1 October, Harry leaves for Hogwarts on the Express from Kings Cross Station with the other students for the magical castle in far off Scotland. He and Hedwig meet many people on the trip and then arrive for an exciting sorting ceremony. Minerva makes an important change in her life. Remus, Severus, and Healer Troutman speak about an unimportant matter.

Chapter 14 Hogwarts Express

It was the great day at last!

Harry and Hedwig were awake, clean (showered and preened) before seven. Despite the boy's assurances that he'd packed everything, Felicity sent a house elf from the Gringotts staff of elves to check 'young Mr Harry's' room to make certain nothing was left behind.

"I can't lift it," Harry groaned when he tried to move his trunk. "Felicity warned me not to buy so many books."

The owl chuffed in conversation with the elf who replied, "Nunley can fix. Makes trunk feather-light."

The little creature wiggled and then snapped her fingers and suddenly Harry was able to lift the trunk as if it weighed less than the pillow on his bed.

"Brilliant! Thanks, Nunley!"

The elf smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek, "Wizards never notice elves except to kick out way. Mr. Harry Potters is kind to elves. He will be great wizard!"

Hedwig chortled again so Nunley nodded in agreement, "And Mr. Harry Potters must learn the featherlight charm."

"Can I learn the elven version? I like elf magic better than wizard magic for chores and tricks."

Hedwig fussed a bit after that statement from her boy and he grimaced, "Yes, Hedwig. I know I must not let wizards know that the elves teach me some of their spells. I will keep my secrets!"

Hedwig nodded her head in agreement while the little elf merely smiled. Nutley knew the elves had secrets too and they were keeping an eye on the young wizard. Elven gossip held that several Potter elves had rushed to Hogwarts to help during the terrible fire. They managed to fight the fire while also making certain it spread to the headmaster's quarters where they rescued the young master's family possessions, returned a great many books to the library, and burned dozens of the headmaster's hideous robes.

The elves at Gringotts knew the Potter elves would remain at Hogwarts to help the young wizard; but no one ever asked house elves what they knew so they would keep their secrets.

*(+++++)*

The night before Harry and Hedwig visited with Hagrid and the dragons to say 'good-bye' with promises of letters and visits by the snowy owl to keep the four dragons informed of their friend's adventures. The dragons were very popular with young goblins and these youngsters were teaching the dragon's their language. Killer seemed the most adept at 'Garfish' and he was very interested in learning how to write in the language as well.

Earlier in the week Harry purchased several children's books for his four dragon friends to begin learning how to read English and he'd watched carefully as Ironstream duplicated the books and then cast a spell to translate the text into Garfish for Killer. Hagrid indulged each request from his dragons like the doting parent he was.

*(+++++)*

This morning, Ironstream met with Harry and Felicity in his office at nine o'clock. The goblin frowned for several minutes without speaking before he drew out a necklace with a small golden egg as a charm.

Ironstream cleared his throat and said, "Goblins are not hatched from golden eggs, young Potter. But since you asked that question in the dragon pen one afternoon, I have considered that you might be the first goblin to force his way from a golden egg."

The goblin motioned the boy forward and placed the necklace around his neck, "I gave you the protection of Gringotts the day you arrived in my office, seeking to know who you were. Since that day you defeated a terrible thief, begun teaching dragons to speak English and Garfish, and now you want to teach them to read!"

"It's only fair, sir. They have a lot to teach us," Harry replied but the goblin only shook his head. Then the goblin motioned for Hedwig to move from Harry's shoulder to the top of his office desk. As the wizard, owl and healer watched, Ironstream pulled out a harness made of fine leather with the emblem of a golden egg with a 'G' on the breast plate.

"This is for you, Miss Hedwig," Ironstream explained as he strapped the harness on the owl. "Now Harry, the eggs are charmed. Your necklace will protect you against legilimency attacks and the breast plate gives your owl protection from predators and from tracking charms."

Ironstream walked with the healer and young wizard to the Gringotts flue they would use to reach an attorney's office close to Kings Cross Station. The goblins would use various stratagems to confuse any agents sent to watch the steps of Gringotts for young Harry Potter today. Already two different healers had left with goblins glamoured to look something like the boy and watchers had indeed followed them out into London through the Leaky Cauldron.

Stepping toward the flue, harry turned back once and smiled at Ironstream, "I thank you for everything you did for me this summer!"

Then with a handful of flue powder the boy was gone on his adventure to Hogwarts. Ironstream watched the healer follow just moments later; the witch was very attached to her charge now and would report everything she saw at King's Cross today. They would receive regular letters and the owl would not hesitate to express her opinion; Ironstream shuddered imagining that he would have to make multiple trips to the dragon pens this fall to listen to the dragon that was learning Garfish translate the owl's stories.

'_Perhaps I should have someone transcribe the stories? We could sell them to the Daily Prophet…'_ he considered for only a moment before he realized the healer would gut him where he stood if he tried to make a galleon selling news of the boy's school year.

He considered options and decided that a scribe would still be present for each of Hedwig's visits with the dragons. _'It'll make a great book someday… yes, a book after he graduates.'_

*(+++++)*

Approaching Kings Cross Station

From the attorney's office, it was a short walk of two blocks to the station. Being a Tuesday morning, the sidewalks were crowded and the streets filled with cars, buses and lorries going about their daily tasks. Felicity recognized that Harry was not paying close attention to the traffic – this was not an ordinary day for him.

The sky was overcast and the weather cool but not cold this morning. And the progress of the young man pulling a trunk behind him while a snowy white owl sat on his shoulder attracted the attention of many people. But as they watched, they could see the boy was excited and headed for school.

'_Bit late to be heading to school… and an owl? Things have changed since I was in school!'_ thought more than one Londoner that morning. Felicity smiled, her face bright but no where near the joy that appeared to infuse Harry's eyes and smile.

"Hurry, Felicity! Hurry!"

"The train doesn't leave until eleven and it's barely half past nine," she replied cheerfully. "You have plenty…"

"But I want to see everything! I want to see the train and the people… Will everyone arrive dressed as muggles?"

*(+++++)*

Outside the brick pillars between platform #9 and #10, they paused.

"We're supposed to meet the Grangers here," Felicity reminded Harry.

"Why can't her parents come inside?" asked Harry with the impatience of an exited child.

Patiently the healer explained, "It's to keep other muggles from accidentally leaning against the pillar and falling through. Can you imagine the fuss if some Auror had to try and obliviate a dozen people who reported their friend vanishing through the bricks?"

"Then, why don't the muggles see us go through?"

"There's a permanent notice-me-not charm on the pillar when magical people step through."

Hedwig chirped for a moment and Harry translated his owl saying, "She thinks that most people here are in a great hurry and don't look at the other people."

Felicity smiled. "I imagine Hedwig is correct… as usual."

At that moment, the young witch Harry was looking for appeared through a doorway leading to the car park. She kept pulling on the adult woman's arm while behind them came a man pulling a large trunk on wheels.

"Hermione, slow down," the man called as his wife looked around as though expecting a wizard to leap out of the shadows.

"I can't!" the girl replied. "I have to find Harry so we get good seats on the train."

"Honey, we talked about this. The etiquette book said you must call him by his proper name until you are invited to call him 'Harry', just like in the Jane Austen novels you like so much," the mother reminded her daughter.

Harry waved the Granger family over and immediately introduced Felicity. With a small bow of his head, he began, "Good morning, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, Miss Granger. I am Heir Harry Potter." Then he motioned toward Felicity and introduced her saying, "This is my magical guardian, Healer Felicity Grossman from Gringotts Bank."

"So, we don't shake hands?" Mr. Granger asked.

Mrs. Granger elbowed her husband and replied, "We are pleased to make your acquaintance Healer Grossman and Mr. Potter. I am Dr. Elaine Granger and this is my husband, Dr. Daniel Granger. I believe Mr. Potter has previously met our daughter, Hermione."

"Yes, they've met and I understand that Harry and Miss Granger plan to sit together on the express today," Felicity replied.

"There now, all the proper magical etiquette is fulfilled," Harry said. He stepped forward and held out his hand to Hermione's father and said, "I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle, and the man beat some manners into me. I am pleased to meet you, Dr. Granger."

Shaking Harry's hand, the man asked, "Why don't wizards shake hands?"

"They fear you'll cast a compulsion spell or jinx on them when you touch them," Felicity explained.

"Surely not… but then that Dumbledore fellow didn't think anything about casting a spell on Hermione," Mrs. Granger replied.

"If we'd had a little more warning about what these witches and wizards were like, Hermione would be in Beauxbatons."

"Dad! No, I want to go to school at Hogwarts," the girl argued.

"But Beauxbatons is warmer, in the south of France and there are no boys there!"

Felicity smiled as she retorted Dr. Granger's argument, "The school is in the mountains between Spain and France so it does get cold there in the winter. And the school does have boys; the school has separated dorms and very strong wards against couples finding their way into either dorm."

"Drat!" Dr. Granger said.

Felicity smiled and continued, "But I agree with you on the backwardness of the society built by British wizards and witches. I am muggleborn, like your daughter and it took me several years to figure out the system at work here."

"Can you explain it to us?" Hermione's mother asked.

"I will be glad to," Felicity offered. "Harry and Miss Granger have seven years ahead of them and we will see each other at holidays and summers."

"You need to set up an organization for parents and guardians," Harry declared. "We'll get the addresses of other muggleborns in our year and you can help each other with how things work, letters, everything."

Hermione's mother asked, "How can we send letters to Hogwarts?"

"I'll help you buy an owl who can travel back and forth to the school with your letters and Hermione's replies," Felicity explained. "We'll set up a window in the house and a roost in the attic."

"Construction?" Dr. Granger asked, his interest caught at the notion of some remodelling.

"If you wish or I'll just use magic to make the changes."

"Won't that violate…" Hermione began to ask before Harry pressed his finger against his lips signalling her to be quiet. They were suddenly in the middle of a large crowd of children headed for a train for a field trip. The boys and girls made comments on the trunks and the owl but hurried past them with chaperones and teachers watching them closely.

One the crowd passed, Hedwig churled for a moment before Felicity asked, "What did she say Harry?"

"She said for Felicity to go to the Owl Emporium and buy the brown barn owl in the back room for Mr. and Mrs. Granger. He is a strong owl who will never be noticed by the neighbours in your neighbourhood or by wizards. He's the perfect owl for Miss Granger's parents."

*(+++++)*

After five more minutes of conversation and the exchange of addresses for muggle post between the Grangers and Felicity, Hermione made her last tearful goodbyes with her mother and father before Felicity led the two youngsters through the portal for Platform 9¾.

*(+++++)*

Hermione struggled with the heavy trunk and even with Harry's assistance, the trunk was too heavy for them to push around the corners in the train.

"Here, let me make it lighter," Felicity said casting a feather light charm on the trunk.

"Oh, that's much better! Thank you!" Hermione said.

'_And the wizard's spell is different than Nunley's spell,'_ Harry thought as he remembered the elf's short incantation.

"That's a spell in the fourth-year charms books," Felicity said. "Master all the Wingardium series of spells from first and second year and complete the wand and wrist exercises from third year before you try to cast it."

They crossed the platform and reached the train where only two or three other students stood at the doors as if waiting for someone. They appeared older with badges on their school uniforms that were a large 'P'.

"They must be prefects, the older students who patrol the halls and keep order among the other students," Hermione informed Harry and Felicity.

The healer's raised eyebrows drew a smirk from Harry – he'd have to talk with Miss Granger about speaking out with information that wasn't necessary or wanted.

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Felicity stepped close to Harry and hugged him gently, "I shall miss you, Harry Potter. Study hard and write me often. I'll even visit your dragons with Hedwig for more news that you don't put in your letters."

In the two months he'd lived with Felicity at Gringotts, he'd grown used to and liked her hugs. They'd begun to make him feel warm and wanted, like a family.

"I… I'll miss you too Felicity… I…" he stammered and while Hermione was silent and unsure what to say, Hedwig spoke up. When she finished chortling at him, Harry grinned and said, "Okay Hedwig."

He turned to his magical guardian and said, "Thank you Felicity! I love you!"

Wrapping the boy in a tighter hug, the healer said, "I love you too, Harry."

Her voice choked and her eyes were weepy as Felicity released the boy, upsetting Hedwig's balance on his shoulder so that the bird had to fly about for a moment before landing on the train car.

"Now, get on board and pick a nice compartment near the back of this car. It's smack dab in the middle of the train and you can watch everyone arrive from the window."

Hedwig returned to Harry's shoulder and the three traveling companions made for the doorway to the train, as Felicity continued with her advice. "Use proper etiquette with each greeting and teach it to the muggleborn firsties. The purebloods and half-bloods will not understand how you know this…"

"Yes, Healer Grossman," Hermione replied as Harry moved both trunks into the compartment. He hurried to lower the window and wave to Felicity.

"We'll be fine! We will make lots of friends and help each other!" he called as Felicity stood on the platform with a few tears on her cheeks.

"And listen to Hedwig," the healer admonished the boy before she turned and walked toward the station house where separate apparition points were set up for arrivals and departures.

Harry watched the figure of Healer Grossman step into the station and then flash away.

"I've never said goodbye to people I cared about before today," Harry told Hermione. "Hagrid and the dragons last night, Ironstream this morning, and now Felicity."

He rubbed his chest as if it hurt and noticed the smile on the girl's face.

"That must mean they're your family, Mr. Potter," she explained. "I think it perfectly understandable. That's why you will have to write them letters."

From her place on top of Harry's trunk, Hedwig began bobbing her head and chirping. Harry nodded his own head and translated, "Hedwig says you are correct, Miss Granger and that I will have to listen to you from time to time at Hogwarts."

Now Hermione frowned, "How does an owl know English? How can you understand her? Can anyone else understand her? How is this possible, Mr. Potter?"

Harry grinned and simply said, "Magic!"

*(+++++)*

At Hogwarts

Albus hurried along the corridor from his office to the Great Hall where he hoped to have a word with Alistair Moody about the curriculum the Auror planned to implement the first day – core exercises for the students! There was no call for strengthening their cores until third year… surely.

Just as he reached the stairs leading to the entrance hall of the castle, Dumbledore met Professor McGonagall with Professor Burbage, the muggle studies professor.

"Ladies," Dumbledore said as he passed them without stopping.

"A moment, Headmaster," called McGonagall.

"I can't stop… must find Alistair!" he replied.

"Yes, you can stop and you will stop!" McGonagall demanded with a cold voice that stopped Dumbledore.

"Now, Minerva…"

"You will refer to me as Professor McGonagall in all conversations, Mr. Dumbledore," the deputy headmistress replied.

"What…" Dumbledore fumbled to understand this attitude from his most reliable chess piece.

"I wanted to let you know that as of this morning, I stepped down as Head of House for Gryffindor. My duties as deputy headmistress are so demanding that I fear that lions suffer from my inattention."

'_Just as I wanted, nobody paying attention to the lions sneaking out at night…'_ Dumbledore thought as he frowned. _'Nothing to do about this today… I'll threaten to fire her tomorrow.'_

His face once again the kind, grandfatherly visage that he was known for, Dumbledore turned to Burbage and said, "And I assume that you wish to nominate Professor Burbage as your replacement?"

"Nominate?" McGonagall said. "As deputy, I can make any last-minute appointments necessary as you well know. The last three DADA professors were my selections because YOU were absent to drop off to an island in the Mediterranean, enjoying the sunshine until the last minute."

"How do you know… I am busy with ICW and the Wizengamot on many days in the summer…" he argued. Her face turned pure sour and wisely, Dumbledore decided to drop the argument. He turned to the muggle studies professor.

"Professor Burbage, I hope you're prepared for the new year. You'll likely have the Boy-Who-Lived in your house," Dumbledore said but he noted immediately that the witch doubted the headmaster's words. He glanced one last time at Minerva but her occlumency shields glowed with strength, apparently daring Albus to attempt breaching her protections this morning.

*(+++++)*

The Trip

In their compartment on the Hogwarts Express, waiting for other students to arrive, Hermione listened as Harry explained, "Hedwig is my familiar. From what I read, that relationship gives her the ability to understand me. Since she is vocal, I can understand her when she speaks."

"What book is that in? Will you loan it to me?" the girl asked breathlessly.

"Sure," Harry replied.

Hermione frowned, "It must be distracting to have a familiar who can talk all the time…"

"Almost like having a friend who asks questions all the time," Harry replied and the girl paused, stared at the boy for a moment and then sat on the comfortable bench seat.

"Are we friends?" she asked.

"We will be. Hedwig told me so."

*(+++++)*

As the clock above the platform struck ten o'clock, the doors of the station house opened as a steady stream of students with trunks and their parents or guardians came out of the building.

"Felicity says that most magical people use the flue or apparition to come to Kings Cross. Only the muggleborn have to use the portal at 9 ¾."

"That's hardly fair," Hermione said. "Everyone…"

"Hermione…"

"…should have the same opportunities for their education."

"Hermione!" Harry's voice rose just a little bit.

"What?" she asked offended.

He sighed, "Remember in the book how Mrs. Potter wrote that 'new blood' witches and wizards had to learn quickly to keep their muggle opinions to themselves?"

"Yes, I remember, but that's wrong!"

"I agree…"

"You agree?" Hermione asked. "That's wonderful. We'll have to figure out a way to change the magical world then!"

Harry shook his head, "I agree with Mrs. Potter and with you. We have to keep our muggle standards to ourselves until we show the others that we are capable of all their bows, 'Miss Whatsits' and 'Mr. Whosits'. Then we can show them that there are other ways to think and live that are just as valid as their own."

"How long will this take?"

"Seven years? I don't know… maybe seven years?"

The girl was perplexed by the idea that it might take seven years to teach the purebloods and half-bloods that the muggle world's ways were just as valid as the magical world.

Her mind was quickly connecting the dots and Hermione began to draw some conclusions, _'And while I am in the magical world, I'll have to be magical… Damn. He's saying we can't change the purebloods and the others… Damn, damn, damn!'_

Hedwig chuffed a few times from the top of the trunk and Harry stopped people watching to move the two trunks into the overhead spaces. Once he'd placed the trunks above, he turned to his new 'friend' who was lost in her own thoughts.

"Hedwig just said that you are an extremely intelligent girl and she knows that you'll come to the final conclusion she wants before we graduate from Hogwarts."

"How does an owl know what I'm thinking?" demanded Hermione.

"Uh… already told you once; it's magic," Harry explained slowly and Hedwig obviously was laughing at both of the humans.

*(+++++)*

On the platform, a nervous boy pulled along a heavy trunk while his grandmother walked ahead of him, the crowd parting for her to allow her to cross the platform and stop at the same entry that Harry and Hermione used. Watching from the window of their compartment, Harry and Hermione whispered to each other as though they feared the formidable woman could hear their conversation.

"Well, that's a pureblood family for certain," Harry said. "Look at that hat. Even the Queen Mum wouldn't be caught wearing a hat like that to Saint Pauls!"

Hermione was speechless – the woman's hat was a giant vulture that appeared stuffed and mounted to the hat. She wondered aloud, "How does she balance that thing on her head… Her hair is piled up… It must weigh twenty pounds."

"Feather light charm again!" Harry concluded.

Outside the platform, the elderly woman turned to the boy and said, "Now Neville, study hard and send me a letter at least once a week. Try not to get expelled and I will see you at Christmas."

"Yes, Gran," he replied. Without a hug or comforting word before parting, the woman turned away and stalked through the crowd that once again parted for her.

"That would have been me without Felicity," Harry realized. He made an immediate decision and turned to Hermione. "Let me collect him. He needs a couple new friends."

Hermione continued to watch the people on the platform as Harry ducked out the door only to return with 'Neville', his large trunk, and a large toad.

"Miss Hermione Granger, I would like to introduce Heir Neville Longbottom of Longbottom Hall."

Remembering the rules from the etiquette book, Hermione smiled politely, curtseyed – something she despised having to do – and replied, "Heir Longbottom, I am pleased to meet you."

Neville's years of training kicked in and he bowed to both Hermione and to Harry. "Miss Granger, I am glad to meet you. Heir Potter, I am glad to meet you. It was a goal of mine to meet and speak with you this year."

From the overhead where she sat on Harry's trunk, Hedwig chortled politely and bowed her head toward Neville who jerked a little with surprize.

"Yes, yes," Harry replied. "Mr. Longbottom, my familiar wishes to be introduced to you. May I?"

"Uh… okay…" the boy replied.

"Heir Longbottom, this is my familiar, Miss Hedwig, Snowy Owl. She asks for an introduction to your familiar."

"Uh… Miss Hedwig, I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Taking the toad from Harry, Neville supported the creature's four feet and said, "This is my familiar Trevor. I don't know where my uncle purchased him but the papers said that his species is 'Insectum Manducante Magicis' from South America."

"He's very large… for a toad, I mean…" replied Hermione.

"Oh, he's just half-grown. When he is full grown, he'll weigh about five kilograms and eat up to a kilogram of insects each day. He'll be much larger than the magical toads here in Britain," Neville explained.

"Is it hard to catch that many insects each day?" asked Harry. "To feed him I mean."

"He lives in my greenhouse back home and catches his own insects. I like herbology and I'll ask Professor Sprout if I can keep him in one of the greenhouses at Hogwarts," Neville explained.

"Brilliant!" Harry agreed.

Harry closed the door to the compartment and Neville looked for a spot to set down the toad; very quickly Hermione pointed to the bench opposite where she was seated and the boys grinned but placed Trevor there. While the two boys wrestled Neville's large trunk into the overhead compartment, Hedwig flew from the overhead to sit beside the toad and begin a conversation.

*(+++++)*

More Introductions

Another boy entered the train station from the muggle world and pulled a trunk on wheels behind him. He nodded to other students but generally they didn't make eye contact. He entered the train at the first doorway and began searching for an empty compartment. The first car he walked through already was full and in the second car, none of the compartment inhabitants were welcoming. He stepped out of the car and crossed the little porch to the third car when the first door of the first compartment opened and a friendly face appeared.

"Come join us! Are you a firstie?" asked the girl with bushy hair.

"Yes, I'm a first-year student," he replied.

"Please join us then," she said. "We're trying to figure out familiars."

The two boys in the compartment stood and helped the new boy to store his trunk in the overhead. Four trunks filled up the compartment storage and the bench seats were configured for four students so they were set for their trip to Scotland with fifteen minutes to spare.

Harry began the introductions and Hermione was surprized when the new boy, used the proper forms of introduction with each of them, beginning with her as the only girl, then Neville and finally Harry.

"I am Justin Finch-Fletchley," the boy introduced himself. "I'm a muggle-born from Southampton."

"We don't care about that," Harry assured the boy. "We want to make new friends."

The boy nodded and looked the two familiars asking, "So, a toad and an owl? What does it mean to have a familiar?"

"Apparently Harry's familiar, the owl, can talk," Hermione explained. Hedwig glanced at the witch and chortled a long sentence that made Harry sit back surprized for moment before he translated.

"Miss Granger, you just insulted Hedwig. Because you had been properly introduced but continued to refer to her as 'the owl', she will refer to you for the rest of the day as 'the girl'."

Justin asked, "That's brilliant!"

Hermione frowned and Justin immediately explained, "Apologies Miss Granger. I didn't mean about being called 'the girl'; I meant that the beautiful Miss Hedwig can talk."

"How is that possible?" the muggle-born boy asked.

The other three children in the compartment replied simultaneously, "It's magic!"

*(+++++)*

Harry formally introduced Justin to Hedwig after which the four children and owl conversed about familiars, school uniforms, and trunks. It was close to eleven o'clock and the excitement of the day returned once more. Then Neville noticed his familiar was gone.

"Trevor? Where are you?" asked Neville as he knelt on the floor and looked under the seats. He found his toad had slipped off the seat and hidden in the space under the seat and behind their feet where small boxes could be stored.

Hermione raised her feet off the floor and asked, "Did you get him?"

Hedwig chortled from overhead and Harry translated, "Trevor moved under the seat to sleep in the dark. He asked if Hedwig would get him a mouse to eat tonight and she promised she would. He told her he'd stay underneath the seat for the whole trip if you promise to take him to a greenhouse tonight."

"The toad wants to eat a mouse?" asked Hermione scandalized.

"So, the toad – Trevor – can talk too?" asked Justin, anxious not to be called 'the boy' by the talkative owl.

Neville nodded, "That's right, I remember the book I read said that when Trevor was large enough, he'd eat toads and small birds that got too close to him at night. I can't understand him so I am grateful Miss Hedwig can translate."

"So, he sleeps all day and roams around the garden at night?" asked Harry. "Like Hedwig?"

From the overhead, Hedwig barked her laughter.

*(+++++)*

Through the open window, Harry heard several loud voices, arguing on the platform.

"Percy, help your brothers!" ordered a witch's voice.

"I have helped them all morning but it didn't make any difference! We're last to arrive and I will get in trouble because I didn't help with loading the train!" complained a teenage boy.

"No, you aren't in trouble," argued the woman's voice. "Professor Dumbledore gave permission for you to help me this morning."

Glancing out the window, Harry could see the boy and mother were both redheads like the curse-breaker in Gringotts – as were four more children. The boy-who-lived slowly moved away from the window to not be seen. Inside the compartment, he switched places with Neville so he could not be seen from the window at all. Outside the loud conversation continued.

"But Mum, we didn't see Harry Potter outside the pillar," the first of the twins pointed out to his mother and older brother. "Percy will get in trouble because you didn't help the boy-who-lived get into the station."

The other twin snarked, glancing at his little sister. "Poor little Harry Potter! He's lost somewhere in the giant muggle train station and will get eaten by some hungry muggle hobos, no doubt."

The woman, a formidable looking witch pulled her wand and quickly cast stinging jinxes that had both twins rubbing their backsides and scurrying to hide onboard the train. The older boy, Percy lifted his trunk and a second one onto the train while their mother consoled her sobbing daughter and tried to clean off the face of her youngest son.

"Ginny, Fred and George are being mean. No one is going to eat Harry Potter. Dumbledore won't allow it! Now stop crying," she said before turning to the boy. "Ron… How on earth did you get dirt on your face this time?"

She wet a handkerchief with her tongue and held the boy's chin still while wiping the dirt off his cheek and nose.

"Mum!" the boy protested. "Stop! I gotta find Harry Potter."

"He'll be on the train," the woman said as she tilted his head first one way and then the other. "You can find him easy. Look for a puny boy with black hair and a white owl. He's raised by muggles so won't have manners."

"I know…"

Glancing at the older boy impatiently waiting at the door to the train car, the woman said, "And Percy will help you find him. He's a prefect so everyone has to answer his questions."

The older boy rolled his eyes and said, "Come on Ron. The train's about to leave!"

"Bye Ron. Give your mum a kiss like a good boy," the woman instructed her youngest boy who pressed his lips on her cheek quickly before ducking around his brother and the two trunks to begin his search for Harry Potter.

"Mum, I didn't get to see Harry Potter," whined the young girl beside the witch. Hermione made certain not to catch anyone's eye as she watched the last-minute arrivals race to the train. The young girl followed her mother into the train station to use the flue or apparition point to leave.

*(+++++)*

When Hermione turned back around, she shared what she overheard and concluded by saying, "They're going to look for a 'puny' boy with black hair and an owl. They know you are muggle-raised and think you won't have good manners."

"Mr. Potter's manners are perfectly normal for a muggle," Justin said shaking his head. "They really don't understand that other people can be just as good as they are."

"So, they think I'm puny, do they?" Harry complained. "Well it's a good thing I've grown in the last two months."

Suddenly, Neville knelt on the floor of the compartment and pulled Trevor out from underneath the seat. He pulled out a box with a lid that was left there by someone else, quickly placed the toad inside the box, closed the lid, and thrust the box into Harry's hands.

"Here Potter, pretend Trevor is your toad. Don't tell anyone your name when they ask, just hold Trevor on your lap and when anyone asks about an owl, pop the top off the box to show 'em the toad."

Now Neville turned to the owl sitting on Harry's trunk and said, "Miss Hedwig, will you hide up there quietly while we help Harry hide in plain sight?"

The owl blinked twice but then bobbed her hear in agreement and stepped to the back of the overhead compartment where she couldn't be seen.

"That is a great idea," Justin said. "Miss Granger and I will distract anyone asking about Mr. Potter with questions about houses and their favourite book."

"Favourite book?" asked Hermione. "My favourite book is 'Hogwarts, A History' and I can discuss every single chapter."

The boys waited a moment in dread before she grinned and said, "But I'll wait until we need to distract someone from Mr. Potter…"

*(+++++)*

It wasn't long before they had their first visitors. Two young witches who knocked and stepped into the compartment after Neville opened the door.

Longbottom made the introductions for Heiress Susan Bones, and Miss Hannah Abbot. The two pureblood witches were pleased that Neville made proper introductions to the two muggleborn students and the famous boy-who-lived.

"Miss Granger, are you certain you will be comfortable here with the boys?" asked Miss Bones.

Hermione smiled politely. "Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom are providing us with necessary lessons on introductions and Magical Britain. Mr. Finch-Fletchley and I have hardly managed to insert a single word into the conversation."

"What house do you want to at Hogwarts?" blurted Hannah suddenly. She turned bright red with embarrassment and apologized.

"Miss Abbot, we're all excited," Harry said. "I believe we'll have to wait and see what happens when we get to the castle."

*(+++++)*

Their next visitors were the red-headed twins who had been very loud on the platform. They simply opened the door without knocking and the first one stepped into the compartment while the second merely held the door open.

"Well, Gred. I've hit the motherload – four firsties for sure," announced the twin inside the compartment.

"Brother, you say there are four firsties in the same compartment without a prefect holding their hands? How is that possible?"

"Don't know Forge," said the first twin, as he pulled his wand. "How about we see what they can do about that?"

"Weasley! Stop!" came a sharp voice behind the twins. A young woman pushed the twin outside the door out of the way and reached in the compartment to grab the jacket of the second twin and pull him outside the door.

"I've already got complaints and you'll have detention for a week with Fergus once we get to Hogwarts! Now go to your compartment and stay there!"

"But I got to use the loo," said one twin.

The girl frowned and said, "Wet your pants or pee out the window, I don't care. But if I see you in the hallways again, I will jinx your bullocks to be size of Quidditch balls again! And it took two days to wear off! Remember?"

The twin red-heads fled back down the hallway and everyone heard the door at the end of the car open and slam closed as the boys left the car.

Now the young woman turned back to the compartment and said, "Hello. Everyone okay?"

"Yes ma'am," replied Justin.

Waving the boys back to their seats as they began to stand, she smiled and explained, "Good, keep your seats and enjoy the ride. I'm Miss Penelope Clearwater, fifth year Ravenclaw and I am one of the prefects. If you have trouble or need information, look for one of us patrolling the cars."

She pointed to the large 'P' on the left panel of her robes. "All prefects have the 'P' on their robes."

Once she left, closing the door behind her, the four firsties began laughing.

"Wander if she'd really make 'em use the window for a loo?" asked Harry.

Hermione grimaced, "That's unsanitary! Think about the people in the next car…"

"What's Quidditch and how big are the balls used in the game?" asked Justin. After Neville explained, Harry and Justin burst out laughing at the notion while Hermione pretended to be affronted though she had to giggle just a little.

"I wonder if Miss Clearwater would teach me that spell?" she asked aloud and all three boys pretended to be scared and crossed their legs tightly.

*(+++++)*

After another hour, Neville and Justin went to the loo while Harry and Hermione discussed the subjects taught at Hogwarts. When the two boys returned, Harry made a trip to the loo, and then Hermione. Each car of the train had a 'Witches' and a 'Wizards' loo placed in the centre of the car.

While they waited for Hermione to return, Harry asked, "Did it seem like this train car is longer on the inside than it looked on the outside? I counted five compartments between here and the loo and it looked like there were just as many on the other side."

"The train uses a lot of expansion charms," Neville explained. "At least that's what my uncle told me. Wizards like to make the inside of everything bigger."

Then Hermione returned to the compartment and they each pulled out books to read for a while. Justin borrowed Harry's copy of the etiquette rules and began to study it carefully. Hermione read a chapter in the charms text book while Harry and Neville were reading the DADA book.

*(+++++)*

It wasn't long before the door to the compartment was thrown open again and this time it was the youngest red-head wizard from the loud family who barged into the compartment.

"Mind if I sit here? All the rest of the train's full! Any of you guys Harry Potter?" he asked and stepped close to Justin, looking at his forehead. Without waiting for anyone to reply, he moved over to check out Harry without glancing at Hermione.

"We're full," Neville said. "Find somewhere else."

The boy now glanced at Neville and sneered, "How'd you get on the train, squib?"

Neville frowned and said, "I received an invitation, just like you Weasley. There's no one here who wants to meet you. Wait until we get to school…"

Ignoring Neville, the boy now to be known as 'Weasley' stepped closer to Harry and asked, "Do you have a pet owl?"

Opening up the box and lifting it for Ron to see, the unnamed boy said, "Only got a toad."

"Leave Weasley or I'll call Miss Clearwater! She's already given the twins a week detention!"

The red head frowned at Neville, but Longbottom stood up and kept his face steady.

"Ugh, how stupid is this? A toad for a pet!" the red-head said as he turned and walked out of the compartment without closing the door.

"Wait… that's pureblood manners?" asked Hermione. "And they think muggleborns have bad manners?!"

Neville looked embarrassed to have to explain, "The Weasley family is not… my Gran won't invite them to dinner at our home though Dumbledore always pretends to be sorry when they are not there. There was one time we were invited to a dinner at Miss Bones home. Her Aunt is Mr. Weasley's boss in the ministry."

"It was a summer garden party and all the Weasley's were there. Mrs. Weasley was loudly not happy with the food."

Now Neville motioned out the door toward the visitor who'd just left, "Ron liked the food and ate enough for three other people on top of his food. The twins played jokes on several people including my Gran. Mr. Weasley got yelled at by his boss, the director of the DMLE – like the muggle police – and they had to leave early. Everyone left early and they've never been invited to another party that I've attended."

"What's a squib?" asked Justin just as the door of the compartment was once again thrown open.

*(+++++)*

"Bones said Harry Potter was in this compartment?" the blond boy announced as he stepped in and immediately went up to Justin.

He bowed his head and said, "Good day, I am Heir Draco Malfoy of House Malfoy. You will learn who the good people are if you follow me."

Justin stood and bowed slightly saying, "I am Justin Finch-Fletchley. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy."

"Merlin! You're a mudblood! How dare you introduce yourself to me!"

"Ah, but you introduced yourself to him. The introduction was of your making," Neville reminded the blond. Motioning with his hand at the other two children in the compartment, Longbottom said, "As you no doubt heard, this is Mr. Draco Malfoy. His family does not welcome…"

"Shut it, squib!" the blonde ordered. "I can see the girl's another mudblood."

He turned to the third boy in the compartment but this young wizard only frowned, lifted the lid off the box in his lap, and said, "Not interested. I'd rather sit here and talk with the magical toad than be introduced to you."

"How dare you! Do you know who I am?"

Together, the three 'mudbloods' replied, "Yes, your name is Draco Malfoy."

Now red with anger, the boy shouted, "When my father hears of this, he'll have you expelled from Hogwarts!"

"How can we be expelled?" asked Justin. "We're not there yet."

Neville once again directed a pureblood to leave the compartment with a threat, "Malfoy, run before the prefects come by. You'll get detention with the Weasleys if you keep shouting."

"The Weasleys? I would never…" the boy said though he did glance both ways in the hall before quickly disappearing.

*(+++++)*

Harry's frown was very dark. He'd be writing to Felicity for advice for certain. He asked Neville, "Is this what Magical Britain's purebloods think is 'good' manners?"

Hermione said, "Do all magical people act this way? My experiences with Dumbledore and McGonagall have not been good."

"I was introduced to the idea of magic by Professor Sprout," Justin said. "My parents would be really upset if they heard what these wizards had said and done this afternoon."

Neville bowed his head, "Not everyone is this bad but all magical folk think they are better than people without magic. And if you don't have much magic, your family sends you away to live with the muggles. That's what a squib is."

"Sends you away?" asked Hermione. "Like an orphan?"

Harry flinched in his corner and Hermione apologized quickly. Hedwig appeared in the overhead and she spread her wings to glide to her boy's lap, rubbing her head against his cheek and chirping like a chick, rather than a grown owl.

"My family thinks I'm almost a squib," Neville explained. "I didn't do accidental magic but a couple times and never anything spectacular like summoning a toy or anything."

"When my letter came at the end of July, my Gran was so surprized. That's when I found out that she'd been planning on giving me a trust fund and sending me to a muggle school called Eaton. My uncle who is her brother told me they'd planned to invite a cousin from America to be Heir Longbottom."

"Eaton is a great school," Justin declared. "That's where I was going before I got my letter in May."

*(+++++)*

Shortly after this sad conversation, there came a knock on the door and once Justin opened the door, a pleasant lady with a refreshment trolley offered them wizarding treats and snacks.

Trevor jumped in his box and Hedwig chortled a bit while Harry, Justin and Neville purchased some candies, pasties, and packs of biscuits. Once she was gone and the door closed, Harry handed a chocolate frog to Neville.

"Hedwig told me that Trevor wants to try a chocolate frog," Harry said. "And she wants to try one as well."

Neville opened the lid to Trevor's box before he unwrapped the frog. The frog-shaped treat leaped out of Neville's hand but Trevor leaped after it, caught it and pulled the struggling chocolate treat under the seat where he slurped loudly as he swallowed it.

Hedwig hooted excitedly, moving to the window seal and watching Harry's hands as he slowly unwrapped the chocolate frog. Again, the chocolate candy leapt from his hands and this time, Hedwig swooped down, catching the frog mid-air before flapping her wings again and returning to her perch atop Harry's trunk in the overhead compartment. There she churled and celebrated as she devoured the chocolate frog.

"That was brilliant!" declared Harry as Hermione rose to flee the compartment for the loo once again.

"I think Miss Granger is not…" Neville tried to say.

Justin shrugged, "There's been too many surprizes for her today, I imagine. I think it wise to not feed the familiars in her presence again."

*(+++++)*

It seemed a long time to the boys before the door to the compartment opened again and Hermione returned. This time she was accompanied by a girl their age who Hermione introduced to each of the boys as Parvati Patil.

"Miss Patil invited me to sit with her and talk about charms and potion class for a time," Hermione confessed.

"That's great," Harry said. "Remember we want to make friends with lots of different people."

"I shall return Miss Granger to you when it is time to change," the witch of Indian descent said as the two girls walked away again.

Once the door was closed, Justin said, "I think I'll stretch my legs a bit too."

Once the tall boy was gone, Neville asked, "What does that mean to 'stretch your legs'? Does he have a medical condition that he must stretch his legs in some muggle device?"

Harry and Hedwig both laughed and once Harry explained, it was a muggle expression meaning to 'walk about', Neville laughed as well.

When they calmed down, Harry asked, "What do wizard's say?"

Neville thought and then explained, "My uncle told me to take 'shank's mare' into the village one day when I wanted to get a new plant for the greenhouse. He didn't want to apparate me."

"Shank's mare? Oh, the muscles in your leg…"

There weren't any more interruptions and the two boys began to exchange pieces of their sad family histories.

"Our parents were friends – we should have grown up knowing each other!" Neville said. "My Gran never said anything about your parents though she takes me to see my Mom and Dad once a month at St. Mungo's. We used to go more often but I think she wants to forget now."

*(+++++)*

Back at Hogwarts

Remus Lupin stepped out of Greenhouse #3, made certain the door was secured, and hurried to his quarters just inside the backdoor to the castle. The greenhouses were enclosed within a high, magical curtain wall that prevented any intrusions so the backdoor was allowed to remain unlocked all day.

Once inside his rooms, he removed his dirty shoes, and then made his way to the bathroom for a shower. When he stepped from the shower, his dirty clothing was already gone and the clean robes he'd bought for the Opening Feast were laid on the bed with his new boots.

"Thank you, elves," he said aloud. In the two weeks he'd been back at Hogwarts, he'd been reintroduced to the wonder of the magical world known as house elves. The creatures kept his apartment spotless, helped with the tasks in the greenhouse when they could, and made certain his favourite cuts of beef, chicken or pork were served on his plate at the staff table every night.

At the end of his first week, thinking about how many steps the elves had saved him with their cleaning and laying out his clothes, he began thanking them aloud and found that the service improved even more.

'_I'll make certain the muggleborn kids understand this,' _he decided. _'And maybe some of the purebloods and half-bloods will appreciate the elves enough to thank them.'_

Once dressed, Remus made his way toward the Great Hall. It was still an hour or more before the Express would arrive at the station but he wanted to mingle with the other staff as the excitement grew.

"Lupin!" called a caustic voice from behind him. Remus turned and recognized the dark-haired visage of Severus Snape approaching from the dungeons where Slytherin House and the potions labs were located. "I want to talk to you."

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape," Remus replied in greeting.

The potions professor sneered, "Remember you are not a professor! You are merely a hireling to lift pots and soil in the greenhouses until the plant woman gets well enough to lift them herself! Don't get above yourself!"

"I assume your bad temper is caused by all the excitement of having all seven years of students back… shouting… running…" The two men stared at one another for a moment longer before Remus inquired, "How can I help you this afternoon?"

"Dumbledore and I want to know where you're getting your wolfsbane potion? You didn't ask me to brew the potion last week before the full moon."

"Wolfsbane potion?" asked Remus, confused for a moment. He'd not taken the potion in several years now and didn't miss the side effects of the mixture.

"Yes, you stupid man. Where are you getting yours? The market for the potion has disappeared and the potion masters in Britain have been hurt by the decline in revenue."

"My potion needs are not part of my contract with Hogwarts," Remus replied carefully. "The headmaster explained he'd forgotten all about the wolfsbane in my contract. And since I'm only here for three months, he didn't think it necessary to amend my contract."

Severus frowned; that did sound like something Dumbledore would do to cut costs. "Nonetheless, all potions are my responsibility…"

"No," interrupted Healer Troutman as he strode up to the two men. "Potions Master Snape, you are never supposed to discuss any person's physical ailments in a public space such as this. I shall report you to St. Mungo's if I ever hear you doing such again!"

"Troutman…"

"You are the premier potions master in Britain now," the healer said. "If you have demerits on your record for breaching confidentiality, the demand for your brewing will quickly decline."

Snape glowered at both men before he spun around and stalked back to the dungeons.

"I feel sorry for the kids," Remus said. "The man's got to be a terror in the classroom."

Troutman nodded but didn't say anything else about Snape. He did look Remus over, cast a privacy spell, and whispered, "I have to say that you exhibit none of the classic signs of lycanthropy. No scars, no exhaustion for days following the full moon. It's almost as if something has happened to cure the disease."

Remus calmed his features and kept his temper at the healer's questions so soon after Snape's temper tantrum.

"I am curious for selfish reasons," the healer admitted. "My favourite cousin was bitten almost twenty years ago. My grandfather, may he rot in hell, banished Andrew from the family like he was a squib. His mother and my father supported Andrew through some muggle school and we kept in touch via muggle post until about five years ago. He disappeared and I couldn't find him or any of his friends anywhere."

"Interesting," Remus replied, pointing toward the hallway where Snape had returned to ease drop on their conversation.

"My privacy spell was more to discourage the headmaster than Snape," Troutman admitted as he pointed toward the disillusioned headmaster hiding behind the staircase. "In any case, remember they both listen to conversations in the castle. The portraits all report to the headmaster."

"Are you practicing disinformation?" asked Remus.

"Every chance I get," Troutman said loud enough to ensure the headmaster and potions professor heard him.

Again, they heard Snape stalk away from the hallway while Dumbledore popped away with a portkey.

"And what's your curiosity got you asking now?"

"I hoped you could bring me word about my cousin."

Remus smiled and replied, "Perhaps Sargent Woolsey can share his story with you himself.'

The surprized healer exclaimed, "You know my cousin?"

"I see him every time there is a full moon," Remus replied.

*(+++++)*

Hogsmeade Station

All through the train, the students waited impatiently for the train to come to a stop in the bare Hogsmeade Train Station. The wooden platform wasn't covered against the weather, and the paths were dirt and gravel, but no one cared; every pair of eyes watched out the windows for a glimpse of the castle.

In their shared compartment, the boys had changed into their school uniforms before Hermione returned. Then they waited in the hall for her to change into the school robes. All four students discussed the four houses again; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They worried about professors and rules but waited as patiently as possible at the end of a long day.

When the train did come to a final stop and the prefects allowed them to exit the cars, the firsties noticed all the other students walking up a path to a series of carriages.

A little man, someone at least partially goblin, stood at the head of stairs and called, "First years! First years! This way, all first-year students!"

Harry and his three traveling companions made their way with the other first year students toward the little man who directed them down a lighted stone staircase to a dock on a dark black lake.

The little professor pushed his way through the students once they were on the dock and gave them instructions, "As first year students, you ride in these boats over to the castle. The lake is very calm at this time of the evening and the lights of the castle are spectacular to see reflected off the water so enjoy the trip."

"Now, no pushing, four to a boat and carefully…" the little man ordered, his wand evident in his hand.

"How do we start the boats?" asked Justin. Harry noticed that Hermione climbed into a boat with the Patil girl, the girl's twin and a fourth girl who kept whispering in the twin's ear and giggling.

"We've been deserted," Neville said. Justin shrugged and Harry listened to Hedwig churl.

"Miss Granger needed more girl talk. That's good," Harry said. "We'll end up friends even if we're in different houses."

With a wave of his wand, the boats floated across the lake toward the castle. The trip across the water was breath taking. Hogwarts pulsed with magic tonight, showing off her tall towers, her great walls, and the aura of magic that kept her hidden from muggles for a thousand years.

The boats crosse the water quickly and docked carefully at the bottom of some steps that lead up to the door of the castle. The little man counted the children twice to determine if he'd lost any and only when he was certain all were present, he motioned for them to climb the stairs. As they began the climb up the stairs, Hedwig flew off Harry's shoulder to bank about the night air for a moment.

Harry was amazed that he wasn't winded by the rapid climb up the stairs – before staying at Gringotts, he would have been tired by climbing that many stairs at one time – certainly they had climbed four stories up from the lakeside.

Hedwig returned to his shoulder with a mouse in her beak that Harry quickly plucked from her beak and then dropped into Trevor's box without any of the girls seeing. Neville and Justin grinned; the toad had been fed his supper.

The front door of the castle opened and the stern professor from Diagon Alley appeared and looked for the little man. When she saw him approach, the witch asked, "Well Professor Flitwick?"

The little professor bowed and replied, "Deputy Headmistress, I have brought the first-year students to be sorted into their houses."

Now McGonagall looked over the students again and her face softened for a moment, "Welcome to Hogwarts. We shall enter the castle together and then proceed into the Great Hall. There you will sorted into your house – your home here at Hogwarts for the next seven years."

"When do we eat?" called one loud Weasley voice. "I'm starving!"

The deputy headmistress frowned and explained, "We eat after the sorting. So be quiet and allow the ceremony to continue without problems. Only then will you eat."

The door opened wider and the eleven-year olds poured into the entrance hall with its grand staircase, suits of armour and many wizard lights brightening the dark corners.

"Professor Flitwick, if you'll wait with them, I will let the headmaster know we're ready."

Certainly, Professor McGonagall."

"Wonder what he teaches?" Justin asked Harry and Neville.

"He's the Charms professor," Neville replied and the other two boys grinned.

"Mr. Longbottom, you know everything! It's great to know you," Harry told the other boy and Justin nodded in agreement.

While they waited for the stern-faced professor to return, Neville wondered if this was what friends were like. He noticed that Miss Granger was involved in an animated conversation with the Patil sister. He hoped he would be sorted into the house with at least one of the four people he'd met today on the Hogwarts Express.

*(+++++)*


	15. Chapter 15

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The sorting hat is a thousand year old artefact of great power. Professor Dumbledore learns that when you mess with 'the Hat', too much information can be revealed during the sorting. And hopefully, some entertainment!

Chapter 15 The Sorting

Harry whispered with Neville and Justin as they walked into the Great Hall as a pack of firsties behind the tall figure of Minerva McGonagall with Professor Flitwick following behind to make certain they were all inside with the doors safely closed.

"This is taking too long," complained Draco Malfoy though only a couple large boys and one girl seemed to pay attention to him.

Harry was too busy taking in the beautiful room with an enchanted ceiling, floating candles, and stained-glass windows to worry about the passage of time. He noticed the four tables with different groups of children seated at them in the school robes with the different house colours and emblems on them.

"Blimey, this place is gorgeous!" Justin told the other two. Neville and Harry nodded in agreement, almost overwhelmed with the Great Hall's decoration and the use of magical charms in the ceiling.

Harry grinned as he looked around, his eyes finally settling on the staff table. There were friendly faces there as well as one piercing stare from an old man with a long beard and strangely decorated robes; suddenly the wizard looked away as if something caused him pain. Harry noticed this occurred as the egg on his necklace heated up.

Beside the old man, another wizard dressed in black, with slick black hair, sneered and stared at Harry but he too looked away, hiding his eyes as if the light suddenly hurt his eyes. Again, the egg on his necklace heated up. Harry had recognized Professor Sprout but the other men and women were strangers for now.

"Now, at Hogwarts, each student sits on this stool and I place the Sorting Hat…" McGonagall began to tell the firsties but halted when she noticed the hat was different. This hat felt different but suddenly the animated face appeared so McGonagall sat it back on the stool as the hat's mouth opened and it began to sing.

Try as he might, Harry couldn't understand a word of the song though the tune sounded familiar from muggle radio. He glanced at the others; Neville, Justin, Hermione, the Patil twins, Malfoy – everyone looked lost.

"Headmaster, what is this?" demanded McGonagall when the song ended.

From the stool, the old hat spoke up – loudly, "Ah, come on, didn't you enjoy something different than the same old tripe about cooperation and brotherhood… As if that would ever happen with the British wizards!"

"Professor McGonagall, if you'll begin the sorting," commanded Dumbledore but the Deputy Headmistress, frowned and turned to the staff table.

"What did you do to the Sorting Hat?" she demanded to know with her wand in her hand.

Before the headmaster could respond, there was a burst of flame in the rafters of the Great Hall and the fiery ball quickly transformed into a large phoenix and in the bird's claws, was another hat that looked like the first one that sung the strange song. As the great bird swept around the room, singing a cheerful song, Hedwig took flight from Harry' shoulder and grabbed the old hat on the stool beside McGonagall.

"Help," screamed the hat as Hedwig rose into the rafters of the Great Hall. "The owl's gonna eat me! She'll use me for a nest! I'm too young to have baby owls!"

Ignoring the hat's complaints, the owl flew up as the phoenix swooped down and deposited the proper Sorting Hat into McGonagall's hands.

"Thank you, Fawkes," the professor said as she held up the hat for Dumbledore to see.

All the while, Harry kept his eyes on Hedwig who swooped toward the phoenix before she slung the first hat into the air where the phoenix caught it and flew toward the staff table.

"I didn't get to practice that hand off! I want my union rep! Momma! Get me outta here!" screamed the hat that the phoenix carried toward the staff table.

Across the four tables of students and gathering of firsties, there were many laughing faces while others looked shocked at the aerial show and the hat's screams.

Everyone in the room saw the phoenix fly above Dumbledore and first drop a glop of something from under her tail feathers onto the headmaster's head, and then drop the hat. Once the hat landed on the headmaster's head, it was stuck there. The old wizard pulled and pulled but nothing would remove the hat from his head.

*(+++++)*

While Fawkes settled on the back of the Headmaster's grand chair, the Sorting Hat sat on the stool and bowed left and right, "Thank you. Thank you. I do hope you enjoyed the opening act for tonight's sorting."

"Of course, they enjoyed it!" shouted the hat upon Dumbledore's head. Despite the headmaster's determined efforts, nothing could loosen the hat or compel it to silence.

"I was the one singing this year!" that hat declared. "You're out of tune, out of time…"

"The Swedish version of 'Waterloo' is hardly an improvement on my singing," observed the Sorting Hat.

"I sang in Swedish?" asked the strange hat. "Swedish? Are you certain?"

"Yes!" replied the Sorting Hat from the stool across the Great Hall as children and adults swivelled their heads between the two hats and their conversation.

The fake hat stuck to the headmaster's head chided the old wizard with a tone of disappointment in his voice that many of the adults recognized; the headmaster used the same tone of voice on everyone when they didn't follow his instructions. "Dumbledore, you were supposed to channel the English version of Abba's Greatest Hits! My boy, I have to know I can depend on you."

Remus snickered remembering Dumbledore using those same words in different letters over the years. There were giggles and laughter erupting across the Great Hall as the hat perched on Dumbledore's head began to sing the Swedish version of Waterloo again.

"Enough!" Dumbledore shouted, standing now and trying to regain control of the ceremony.

"Alright, alright," the hat said to mollify the anger headmaster. "No more Abba… How about one of your favourite tunes from your youth, Albus?"

Again, everyone turned toward the headmaster's chair and listened as the hat began a stirring rendition of a German song, with a full symphony orchestra playing in the background. The headmaster's eyes grew wide as did many muggleborn students who knew modern culture, and the staff members who remembered the wars fought with Germany earlier in the century.

"That's Deutschland über Alles," Hermione told the other firsties. "It is the national anthem of Germany."

Without waiting for the strange hat to finish his song, the Sorting Hat interrupted the music saying, "I'd like to thank my earlier stand-in for his role in the entertainments. He is to be known as the 'False Chapeau'. Let's give him a round of applause for his fine singing voice and Dumbledore's song selection."

The students and staff did applaud somewhat and the hat on Dumbledore's head shouted out, "And the entertainment ain't over 'til the fat lady sings Carmen!"

"This is weird," Harry confessed to Neville and Justin. "Why are they singing Swedish and German songs? And who is Carmen?"

Neville agreed with Harry while Justin grinned. "I don't think the older students know either. They are just as confused as we are."

He pointed to several older students at the Ravenclaw table who were furiously scribbling notes whenever either of the hats spoke.

"Now, I shall conduct the sorting of each new students here at Hogwarts without any interruption from the headmaster," the Sorting Hat announced.

"But I will be adding colour commentary!" declared the False Chapeau.

"No, you will be silent!" announced Dumbledore who pointed his wand at his own head, cast a spell but then his spell reflected down from the hat into his own face, the headmaster fell back into the chair to sleep through the sorting.

"Good critics are so hard to find," the False Chapeau announced. "Carry on, carry on."

McGonagall struggled for a moment to keep from laughing aloud but thus far, she enjoyed the 'entertainment' this evening. She lifted the Sorting Hat from the stool, referenced the scroll in her hand other hand and announced the first name of the night, "Hannah Abbot!"

As soon as the Sorting Hat landed on the girl's head, the False Chapeau shouted out, "You can be more than just some wizard's arm candy, Miss Abbot!"

"Better be Hufflepuff!" announced the Sorting Hat.

Shocked by the first comment for a moment, Hannah stumbled over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Susan Bones," called McGonagall and the smiling strawberry blond hurried to the stool.

Again, the False Chapeau shouted out first, "Dark Lady in training! Beware all of Britain!"

"Better be Hufflepuff!"

Susan Bones sat frozen on the stool after hearing the words of the False Chapeau. A Hufflepuff, Dora Tonks hurried over from the table to lead the girl to a place beside her friend Hannah Abbot and attempt to reassure the girl that everything would be well.

At the staff table, Pomona Sprout threw down her napkin, drew her wand, and turned on the False Chapeau.

"How dare you tell a child…"

The hat argued with the head of Hufflepuff between sorting announcements, "I told YOU. You will be her head of house for seven years. Fix it!"

"Her aunt doesn't know how to give the child the attention and love she needs. You have an abundance of both. Go do your job! Now be quiet, this is another good one!" the artefact snorted.

McGonagall called for Lavender Brown and the young blonde smiled as she sat on the stool. The False Chapeau announced loud and clear, "Fashion Queen!"

"Better be Gryffindor!" declared the Sorting Hat as the girl hurried to the table with the other Lions, not distressed to be called a 'fashion queen'.

"Millicent Bulstrode."

Now the False Chapeau announced in a clear voice without humour or twists, "True!"

The Sorting Hat shouted out, "Better be Slytherin!"

"Michael Corner."

"He's got a big brain!" shouted the hat glued to Dumbledore's head.

"Better be Ravenclaw!"

"Vincent Crabbe."

"Thug! Nothing but a thug!" shouted the False Chapeau and the students froze in place to hear such a declaration.

"Better be Slytherin!"

"Tracy Davis," McGonagall announced to prod the boy into leaving the hat and moving to the Slytherin table.

"True!"

"She's Slytherin!" shouted the Sorting Hat. Minerva glanced about her, the tables were very quiet, the children's heads turning back and forth between the stool and the pronouncements from that hat on the sleeping headmaster's head. She took a deep breath and continued, "Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"True!"

"Better be Hufflepuff!" announced the Sorting Hat.

The next two were nothing outrageous with one for Gryffindor and another for Ravenclaw. Then McGonagall called the name 'Gregory Goyle', and False Chapeau once again yelled out 'Thug', while the Sorting Hat sent the boy to Slytherin.

Then the list came to Hermione Granger and Minerva moved carefully with the hat in her hand. Rather than sit on the stool and allow the Deputy Headmistress to place the hat on her head, Hermione held out her hand for the hat.

Minerva inclined her head slightly and handed the hat to the girl. Hermione examined the hat for a moment before placing it on her own head.

The False Chapeau whistled and shouted, "Genius! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Better be Ravenclaw!" announced the Sorting Hat with a note of happiness and joy in his voice.

Handing the hat back to the Deputy Headmistress, Hermione dipped her head respectfully and then headed toward the table with the Ravens. At the head table, Flitwick was already sorting through his mind for appropriate class materials to give the girl and ways to guide her forward.

"Daphne Greengrass," announced McGonagall with more confidence in her voice.

"True!" announced the False Chapeau.

"Better be Slytherin!"

Several more firsties were sorted and then McGonagall called out the name 'Neville Longbottom'. With a pat on his shoulder from Harry, Neville walked over to the stool and also took the hat from McGonagall to place on his own head.

"Excellent! True!" shouted the False Chapeau.

"Better be Hufflepuff!" announced the Sorting Hat as Neville handed the hat to McGonagall and the walked to his new house's table with a smile on his face.

Another Ravenclaw and yet another Hufflepuff followed Neville. Then McGonagall called for Draco Malfoy.

The blond boy swaggered up to the stool and held out his hand for the hat that began immediately whispered so that only the boy and the Deputy Headmistress could hear, "No. Sit and Professor McGonagall will place me on your head. Touch me and I'll suck every…"

Sit!" McGonagall hissed as she pretended to brush lint off the hat. Once the angry boy was seated, she placed the hat on his head. The response from the False Chapeau was instantaneous.

"Thug!" shouted the False Chapeau.

"Better be Slytherin!" announced the Sorting Hat.

Draco reached up to grab the hat off his head and throw it into the air before he stomped off to the Slytherin table without another word. While the blond made a spectacle of himself, the hat gracefully sailed through the air to land gently on the head of Theodore Nott, the next student to be sorted.

The False Chapeau announced, "Another Brain!"

"Better be Slytherin!" announced the Sorting Hat.

The boy carefully removed the hat and returned it to Professor McGonagall with a small bow.

The next sorting was a surprize because when McGonagall placed the hat on the head of Pansy Parkinson, the False Chapeau named her as a 'Thug', the first witch to be so named.

"Better be Slytherin!"

The witch looked angry but she hid her emotions carefully as she strode to the Slytherin table.

The Patel twins were next. Parvati was declared a 'Fashion Queen' and went to Gryffindor with her new friend Lavender Brown. Her sister, Padma was named another 'Brain' and went to join Hermione at the Ravenclaw table.

Another girl, Sally-Anne Perks was declared 'True' and sent to Hufflepuff. Then it was time for Harry Potter who carefully walked toward the stool with his familiar on his shoulder who kept churling and rubbing against his head.

As nervous as he was, Harry paid no attention to the red-headed boy from earlier on the train.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" whined Ron Weasley as the boy with an owl on his shoulder walked by without speaking. "We're supposed to be best friends!"

Harry still didn't respond so the red-head shouted, "I'll see you in Gryffindor!"

Minerva motioned the Weasley boy to get back in line as the Potter boy drew close and she heard him talking to the owl.

"I don't think this is funny," the boy said as he responded to something his owl said.

"Is the owl your familiar?" Minerva asked.

"Yes ma'am. Hedwig's very smart and very magical," Harry told her.

"We'll make all the arrangements for her to stay with you during the night then," McGonagall said as he handed the boy the hat. As he put the hat on his head, Hedwig flew overhead chortling loud enough for the entire hall to hear her call.

"Yes, yes, I understand," the False Chapeau agreed with the owl. "He is the Great Speaker!"

"Better be Hufflepuff!" announced the Sorting Hat as Harry returned the hat and Hedwig settled on his shoulder again. Then he stopped to bow to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table leaving her all smiles, before he hurried to the Hufflepuff table to sit between Neville and Justin.

There were a few students left after Harry; Zacharias Smith was called a 'Thug' but sent to Hufflepuff anyway.

Ron Weasley was devastated that his 'best friend' had betrayed him and gone to Hufflepuff. When he was called a 'Thug' by the False Chapeau and then sent to Gryffindor, Ron found a seat with the other firsties at the end of the table.

There Ron kept asking, "What does that mean anyway? What's a 'thug'? Is it a muggle thing?"

*(+++++)*

Scene: The Feast

The Great Hall became quiet as Deputy Headmistress McGonagall went to collect the Sorting Hat from Vincent Zabini's head. The last student was sorted into Slytherin and it was time to feast. However, the perceived insults to Slytherin house proved too much for Severus Snape. He clamoured down from the head table and stormed to the spot in the Great Hall where Minerva placed the Sorting Hat and the stool. Snape pulled his wand and pointed it at the Sorting Hat.

With a look of fury on his face, Snape began shouting, "You stupid..."

From the False Chapeau upon Dumbledore's head, the high-pitched voice shouted, "Thug! Just another thug in Slytherin house!"

"…piece of moth-eaten cloth," continued the False Chapeau.

"Thug," sighed the False Chapeau while the Sorting Hat remained silent.

"I forbid it! You can't call Slytherins…" shouted Severus while every true Slytherin in the room shook their head in dismay that the head of that house would make such a public display.

"Thugs! Thugs! Thugs! Thugs!" chanted the False Chapeau.

"And you!" shouted Snape as turned back around and cast a spell upon the sleeping form of Albus Dumbledore with the mouthy hat on his head.

Everyone froze to see the spell manifest as a bright red wave that slowed as it crossed the hall while the False Chapeau screamed, "Save me! Save me! I'm a victim of circumstance! Someone save me!"

Suddenly, the red wave of Snape's spell rose higher into the air of the Great Hall, twisted and twirled about before turning around to smack Severus Snape in the chest, knocking him about ten feet into the stone wall. The potions professor slid down the wall to lie on the floor motionless.

Now the Sorting Hat announced, "And that's what happens to wizards who argue with artefacts of great worth and then attack poorly animated pieces of cloth."

"Hey bud, there's nothing about me that's poor!" argued the False Chapeau across the length of the Great Hall.

Healer Troutman hurried over to examine the potions professor. He looked up after just a moment to explain, "He's just exhausted and taking a nap. I suggest we leave him be and wake him up after the feast."

"Yeah!" shouted Ron Weasley, rapidly recovering from losing his best friend. "I'm starving!"

The False Chapeau once again began singing the German national anthem, much to the confusion of the students and the staff. But the deputy headmistress commanded the feast to begin and a wonderful repast appeared before the hungry children. At the head table, she took a moment to revive the headmaster, called for an elf to bring him a cup of strong tea, and then devoted her attention to her meal.

The False Chapeau switched to Abba's Greatest Hits, singing all the parts in all the different pitches simultaneously and providing the music as well. The muggleborn students sang along when they knew the words and the magical students were amazed and wondered what else they were missing about the muggle world. Professor Burbage was excited for the children to hear the muggle pop songs.

Remus Lupin sat back in his chair as he decided, _'I'll have to got to Gringotts and rent a pensive to show the guys this memory. There's no way to write up a report on this sorting feast that anyone will believe…'_

*(+++++)*

Scene: Sorting Revelations

In Dumbledore's office, late that night, the headmaster with the False Chapeau still stuck to his head, summoned McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Pince, Sprout, and Babbage to discuss the sorting. Remus Lupin was invited to attend by Sprout and when they gathered at the gargoyle to take the stairs to the headmaster's office, McGonagall nodded in agreement that he be included.

The trip up the revolving staircase was silent and the professors stepped into the mostly refurbished office. The acrid scent of smoke lingered in the air and they each wondered when the smell would dissipate. From behind his massive desk, the elderly wizard attempted to look wise but the effect was ruined because the False Chapeau remained attached to his head, and the hat's animated face continually winked while blowing kisses and raspberries at the professors arrayed across the desk from Dumbledore.

"I have reservations about the results of tonight's sorting," Dumbledore said to begin the meeting.

"What? Not even a 'good evening?" asked the Sorting Hat from his regular place on the shelf beside the giggling phoenix.

The False Chapeau spoke up, "Good evening, one and all. Can we get some Firewhiskey in here? I need a good belt!"

A house elf appeared with a tray of glasses and a bottle of the potent whiskey. The bottle rose from the tray, filled one small glass and then returned to the original spot on the tray. The filled glass rose above the startled headmaster and tipped the contents into the 'mouth' of the False Chapeau.

The hat belched a great flame that singed Dumbledore's moustache and beard. None of the staff members took a glass of Firewhiskey, though most of them planned to have a nightcap in their private quarters before sleeping. The headmaster muttered under his breath as he patted out the cinders around his face, and the heads of house watched the deputy headmistress simply conjure a chair and sit, waiting quietly. The other professors conjured chairs as well. It appeared this would be a long meeting.

"Now, can we get down to business?" asked the real Sorting Hat. "Professor Dumbledore has pestered me about the sorting without ceasing since Fawkes returned me to my place on the shelves."

"About the sorting without ceasing!" emphasized the False Chapeau.

"Rather than reveal any secrets to him, I ordered him to summon you all here to hear…"

"Wow! 'Here to hear'! It rhymes! Oh glory, the Sorting Hat can rhyme!" shouted the False Chapeau.

Babbage looked at Sprout with confusion and concern evident on her face; the Head of Hufflepuff patted the new head of Gryffindor on the hand and reassured her, "It's some kind of punishment for Dumbledore to have to listen to this banter for a while. Hogwarts is vindictive when you mess with her artefacts."

"As I was saying…" the Sorting Hat continued. "I sorted the students to their appropriate houses."

"But I had commentary to share with you," the False Chapeau giggled.

"Get on with it then!" demanded Snape.

"Did you forget to eat your prunes again, Severus?" ask the False Chapeau before it began to review the sorting.

"First, Susan Bones could indeed be a Dark Lady but with my warning, Professor Sprout will make certain the girl receives the attention she needs. Her aunt is absent from her life much of the time but that's a requirement of her job. Miss Bones needs good, true friends here at Hogwarts. She'll make a marvellous Minister of Magic someday with the proper guidance."

"The muggleborn Justin Fitch-Fletchley went to Hufflepuff. As a future financial mover and shaker across the globe, he'll learn the value of true friends and hard work before he forges alliances between the goblins, dwarves and muggle bankers; he'll be a billionaire before he is thirty-five years. He'll be the greatest Dark Lord who ever lived!"

Pausing for a moment, the False Chapeau announced, "A Dark Lady and a Dark Lord in a single year! That's new record for Hogwarts!"

When the staff became agitated, the Sorting Hat cleared his throat (so to speak) and explained, "Many students have the potential to become Dark Lords or Dark Ladies. Minerva McGonagall was the most promising Dark Lady in her generation; if she'd joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they would rule Magical Britain today. And that scallywag Sirius Black could have been much worse than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. However, the boy was entirely too lazy and chased witches rather than study."

"Exactly!" agreed the False Chapeau. "Now, back to this year's crop of troublemakers. There's Miss Granger; she was sorted into Ravenclaw to make friends with girls and boys who come close to her level of genius. She'll be friends with many other students here at Hogwarts but her genius will change the world of genetics and medicine in magical and muggle world. Make certain she maintains her studies in muggle maths and sciences, as well as the magical classes."

"The Sorting Hat put Mr. Longbottom into Hufflepuff. I won't tell you his secrets but his work will play a key role in discovering more effective treatments for cancer in magicals and muggles."

Now the False Chapeau glanced downward at the headmaster, who kept his hands over his eyes to hide from the conversation.

"Hey Dumbles, the future will remember these kids in the same way we remember Merlin. Your name, on the other hand, won't be remembered five minutes after you're dead…"

The hat cackled with an evil tone and asked, "Want to know when you kick the proverbial bucket?"

Dumbledore was startled by the question, and his hands fell away from his face, his eyes bright and scared, but again the Sorting Hat interrupted the conversation.

"No, do not tell him that! I forbid it! It never turns out well when a mortal learns the number of minutes they have left to live."

"Oooo… Hear that Dumbledore? He said 'minutes' as in today's minutes."

"Get back to the sorting!" commanded the Sorting Hat as Albus Dumbledore tried not to panic – especially when he saw the amused look in Minerva's eyes.

"I just wanted to have a little fun with my tormentor… uh… maker," whined the False Chapeau. Flitwick and Sprout began a whispered conversation that grew to include McGonagall and Burbage.

"He's too mischievous… Recognize his speech patterns…"

"Don't I get to hear your little secrets?" whined Snape but the other professors ignored him.

The False Chapeau continued with the sorting of Draco Malfoy. "Snape pay attention to this! Mr. Malfoy went to Slytherin because the people in the other houses would kill him in the first week. The Slytherins will ignore him which is worse than death to the boy's mind that's been all twisted by his father."

"Next year Draco's mind snaps and he is delusional before the end of the winter term. His parents will take him to St. Mungo's where the boy will linger for twenty years in the Janus Thackery ward. As his godfather you must intervene and find the cure for Draco's psychosis in muggle-born counsellors and pharmaceuticals. The boy can grow up healthy if you help him! Start looking into it now!"

"Ron Weasley went into Gryffindor because he'd be expelled from Hogwarts within the first month if he went into any other house. He'll squeak through like the pig he is so long as his older brother Percy is here to make Ron study enough to pass. But in Ron's fourth year, Percy is gone, and the thug will not pass a single class. The school will expel him and his family will push him to pass at least one OWL within twelve months otherwise his mind will be wiped of all knowledge of the magical world and his magic bound."

The False Chapeau tried to shrug and continued, "What will happen? I dunno but Ron's a lazy excuse for a wizard and can't be bothered to wipe his nose, let alone any place else."

"And what about Harry Potter?" demanded Snape. "Why did the much-anticipated Boy-Who-Lived go into Hufflepuff?"

Sprout grinned and announced, "Because it is the best house, of course."

The False Chapeau laughed after Professor Sprout's announcement.

"Mr. Potter's sorting was the hardest since sorting Ambrose Fleamont in 1624. In fact, Ambrose is a direct ancestor of Mr. Potter! Anyways, little Fleamont grew up to lead Magical Britain and the other societies of Europe into creating the Statue of Secrecy and creating the ICW."

"Fleamont who?" asked Irma Prince. "I don't remember ever reading about this…"

The False Chapeau brightened up again and explained, "I would advise no one to read the history books Dumbledore wants you to read. Read my new book titled 'Moments of Greatness: Britain Before Dumbledore'."

"Where's this book?" demanded Professor Pince, and everyone heard the thump as a book fell out of the true Sorting Hat and onto the floor. Madam Pince hurried to grab the book off the floor and move behind the other staff members to hide it from Dumbledore.

"That book is contrary to Ministry standards!" announced Dumbledore.

"How do you know that?" asked Burbage. "It just appeared here from the Sorting Hat."

"With that title, it must be subversive!" declared the headmaster.

"Then it's a good thing that the Hogwarts Library is above Ministry pablum," Minerva said coolly.

"But what about Harry Potter!" demanded Snape.

The False Chapeau simply said, "The 'Great Speaker' had to be Hufflepuff."

"What does that mean anyway; 'Great Speaker'? Speaker of what?" demanded Snape.

"And how can the boy be 'Harry Potter'?" demanded Dumbledore, rising from his stupor behind his desk. "Tell me, how he can be Harry Potter? The boy was a fiction created by James and Lily Potter to trap the Dark Lord Voldemort!"

The False Chapeau laughed and in a high-pitched child's voice said, "And how can this be? For he is the kwisatz haderach!"

Remus and Severus both understood the muggle reference to the Frank Herbert book 'Dune' and blanched with the implication of the power Harry Potter would hold someday.

The False Chapeau returned to humming the German tune 'Deutschland Uber Alles' again, while the true Sorting Hat simply said, "You're senile Dumbledore. You know I can't sort falsely – Harry Potter is a badger in Hufflepuff."

"And I told their secrets!" announced the False Chapeau. "The Sorting Hat can't tell you any of their secrets, but I did."

"How do you know these secrets?" demanded Snape. "If Dumbledore just created you to make the sorting go as he wanted, how do you know the students' secrets?"

The False Chapeau's grin grew wider and the two spots where the 'eyes' were supposed to be began to glow red.

"Dumbledore fashioned me to be a fake hat – the False Chapeau – but he transfigured me to imitate the powers of the Sorting Hat. He never realized I would be able to find their secrets… And there's no admonition or control on my mouth about protecting anyone's secrets!"

"Dear Merlin!" whispered Flitwick, his wand sliding into his hand as he wondered if a finite incantatem would disperse the magic in the False Chapeau.

"Stop! Stop this foolishness this instant!" demanded Dumbledore. "This hat is an illusion…"

"An illusion! Is this an illusion?" asked the hat as it burst into flames. As the magical flames consumed the hat and burned Dumbledore's head, the faculty members heard it grumble, "Oh, poo. I shouldn't have done that!"

Flitwick and Sprout cast aguamenti spells to generate water and put out the fire while Burbage went to the flue to summon Troutman from the infirmary. But the fire appeared to only consume the hat without burning Dumbledore. Once the flames died away, the professors grimaced as they recognized Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, sitting on Dumbledore's head and the release of the transfiguration magic had exhausted the headmaster.

"He tried to compel a poltergeist to do his bidding," muttered Flitwick while shaking his head in disgust.

McGonagall stood and said, "Baron! We need you immediately!"

Within moments, the Bloody Baron floated through the walls of the headmaster's office. "You summoned me, Minerva?"

Pointing to the sleeping poltergeist on Dumbledore's wet head, Minerva explained, "One of your charges has been magically drained while assisting the headmaster with a prank. If you will help Peeves to a safe spot in the castle and make certain he recovers, we will be grateful."

"Of course! Of course," the ghost replied as he gathered poltergeist in his arms and passed through the walls again.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Goodnight Everyone

The faculty left the headmaster's office after Healer Troutman announced there was no burns on the headmaster but the wizard appeared exhausted. An elf was summoned to take the headmaster to his bed for an uninterrupted sleep.

"It could be at least two days before he wakes up," Troutman informed the Deputy Headmistress.

She shrugged and said, "We'll get along fine without him. Begin the physical exams on the first-year students tomorrow."

"Yes, Deputy Headmistress," the healer said before he stepped into the flames again to return to the infirmary. The remaining professors went down the stairs and dispersed to their different houses and apartments in the castle.

Burbage stepped up beside McGonagall and asked, "Are all meetings with the headmaster that… wild?"

"No," replied Minerva. "That meeting was unusual, but satisfying."

Sprout, Pince, Flitwick and Lupin all coughed or smothered their laughter. Only Snape sneered and broke away from the others to make his way to his dungeons.

*(+++++)*

"Professor Sprout," Lupin said to draw her attention before they separated for the evening.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin?"

"After the feast as the prefects took the students to the Hufflepuff dorm, Longbottom and Potter approached me with a toad."

Surprized, Sprout repeated the statement as a question, "A toad?"

"Yes, Longbottom's pet or familiar. He wanted to house it in one of the Greenhouses. Apparently, the toad consumes a large number of insects each night."

"I hope you accommodated him," Sprout replied. The local toads hibernated through the winter even in the warm greenhouses so the insects thrived during the fall and winter.

"Yes, and it is a big toad – five kilograms."

"What kind of toad grows that large?"

"Mr. Longbottom said it was 'Insectum Manducante Magicis'. I let the boy put the toad into Greenhouse Two where the aphids are a problem.

Sprout nodded. "Natural predators are a great asset in the greenhouse! But, Mr. Longbottom will be responsible for the toad's care."

"And Mr. Potter's familiar flew off to hunt for her supper. She'll return to the owl stalls for the night."

With that, the faculty members of Hogwarts parted to have that night cap and smirk at the antics of the False Chapeau and the Sorting Hat.

*(+++++)*

Author's Note: The False Chapeau wrote himself into the story. I started with a fake sorting hat but then the transfigured poltergeist awoke and took over. Peeves will make a later appearance in first year.


	16. Chapter 16

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Harry and his friends begin classes at Hogwarts. They explore the castle and meet each of their teachers. The kids decide they don't like pumpkin juice. Moody makes a good impression in DADA and McGonagall works the 'puffs and 'claws in transfiguration. Then they get a tour of the library. When Draco has a meltdown, Harry and Neville talk to their head of house. This is when the boys begin to call each other by their first names.

Chapter 16 First Day

The first morning at Hogwarts, Harry was the first boy in the room awake. He slipped on his glasses as Hedwig fluffed up her feathers and quietly hooted. Her stand was near his bed where they could see each other without any interference during the night.

"Good morning to you too," Harry replied as he looked at the other beds – Neville in his bed next to Harry's was still asleep, and Justin in his bed further over, turned toward the wall to find a more comfortable position. There were just the three of them in this room; three other first year boys shared the room immediately across the hall. Each room had an ensuite with shower and tub as well as the other fixtures.

Crawling from under the covers, Harry found the things he needed for a shower and to brush his teeth. He quietly made it to the bathroom, showered, brushed and returned to dress before Neville passed him mumbling, "Good morning…"

Justin finally woke up and sat on the end of his bed waiting for Neville to emerge from the bath while listening to Harry ask Hedwig which books to carry in his backpack this morning when they went to the Great Hall.

"They didn't tell us what class would be first, and I don't want to carry all my books all day," the boy explained to his owl. She replied with more whistles and clicks than usual but Harry nodded.

"Okay, I'll just take a pen and paper to start a letter to Felicity before breakfast." He glanced at Justin and explained, "Hedwig says we're close enough to come back for the books we need before classes start."

Justin, who was not a morning person until he'd had his orange juice, just nodded. As Neville appeared and went to his wardrobe for the day's robes, Justin stumbled by to shower.

Neville frowned for a moment after Harry mentioned writing a letter to his guardian until the boy explained, "Hedwig said we got to tell everybody about the False Hat last night."

"Uh, you mean the 'False Chapeau'," Neville said to correct Harry.

"What's a chappo?" asked Harry, mispronouncing the word a bit.

"It's French and means 'hat'," Neville said. Finally, it struck the generally quiet boy just how vocal and helpful he'd been with the other children the previous day. He remembered Harry and Justin saying that 'he' was smart and they were glad to know him.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Parchment and Quills

There were several first-year students gathered in the Hufflepuff Common Room when the three boys came down. A fourth-year student who was friendly, Cedric Diggory if Harry remembered correctly from the previous night, waved them over.

"Good morning! Sleep okay?"

"Yes," Justin replied. "We were worn out after the sorting last night."

Diggory nodded. "This is my fourth year and the Sorting Hat has never done a show like that before."

"I thought the music was strange," Neville said and he noticed that the others agreed with him, nodding and grinning. Again, a new sensation for the boy.

Harry asked, "When do we go to breakfast? I want to write a letter this morning too and thought I could do at the table after I eat."

"With parchment, quill and ink in the Great Hall?" asked Diggory. "That'll be a mess for sure."

"No, I…" Harry explained as he pulled out a biro and a pad of paper from his backpack, "…was going to write it on regular paper with this pen. There's no mess."

"Can I see the 'brido'?" asked Neville, mispronouncing the word. Harry handed the pen over to the boy who examined it closely before asking, "How do you get ink in this little thing?"

"The brio has lots of ink inside. It'll write a notebook full of pages before it runs out of ink."

"What's a notebook?" asked Diggory and Harry pulled the object out of his backpack to show. The older boy stared at the soft-cover book of blank paper.

"How do you get a sheet out without ripping it?"

"There are perforations along one side. You bend the paper along the perforations and it will tear out cleanly, most of the time," Harry explained as he demonstrated.

"Oh no… Not this again," lamented a new feminine voice that attracted the attention of the boys and Diggory. "Every year there's problems with muggle paper and 'quills' for the first couple weeks."

"Tonks," Cedric greeted the girl. "Guys, this is Miss Dora Tonks and she's a seventh-year prefect. Don't ever try to play a trick on her or she'll leave you tied up in broom closet over night! In the cold!"

"That only happened to you once, Diggory and you weren't even naked," the girl replied. "So, remember, it could always be worse."

"What's wrong with my brio and paper?" asked Harry.

Tonks sighed and explained, "There's nothing wrong. My Da is muggleborn and we live mostly in the muggle world so I love brios and real paper. But don't let Snape or McGonagall see them in their classrooms and you can't turn in any assignments written on 'paper'. The other professors don't mind if you use them for notes but for all assignments, you have to use parchment, quills and ink. The ink in brios won't write on the parchment; it's not wet enough."

"Professor Sprout will have class at night all week to get everyone used to working with quills," Diggory said. "Even purebloods have trouble with quills… I hate to think about the number of sheets of parchment I wasted learning how to write a zed (Z) in cursive."

Harry and Justin shared a look of concern and Neville agreed with the older boy that working with quills was very messy.

"When you get tired, you can smear an entire line and not realize it," Diggory continued. "And I'm left handed so I learned to write from left to right and then cast a spell that flips my writing over."

"Wow! That's brilliant!" Harry said.

"Yeah, I had to learn how to make the charm last for fourteen days."

"Why fourteen days?" asked Justin, now more awake but still wanting orange juice.

"All papers and assignments must be graded within fourteen calendar days by the professor who made the assignment or the student receives an automatic 'Acceptable' grade."

"There are exercises to strengthen your magic and that's necessary to cast spells to last for two weeks," Tonks explained. "Diggory, you were what… third year before you could make the transfiguration last two weeks?"

"It was second year! I came back to school in September that year strong enough to make the spell last two weeks."

Tonks grinned at the fourth year Puff and then back at the firsties before she added, "I've always said that rule of automatic 'Acceptable' is how some people pass at Hogwarts. The professors don't grade their papers so they can still come to school. Watch the fifth years and see who fails their OWL exams spectacularly."

Hedwig chirped a question. Harry nodded and translated, "Hedwig wants to know about the OWLs."

Diggory nodded and began the explanation saying, "When you are a fifth-year student, you take your OWL exams at the end of the year. 'OWL' stands for Ordinary Wizarding Level'. You have to pass at least three OWLS to be able to continue attending school, and you have to pass specific ones to take some of the classes in sixth year and seventh year."

"Tell 'em the bad part," Tonks chided Diggory.

The older boy nodded, "The ministry says you have to pass at least one OWL to remain a wizard. If anyone fails all their OWL exams, they have one chance to pass again but if they don't, then their magic is bound, their wand snapped, and they are sent to the muggle world to live."

"Does that happen to anyone?" asked Neville, suddenly fearful of his grandmother's plans once again.

"I've never heard of anyone failing all their OWLs!" Diggory said to alleviate the scared firstie.

Hedwig again chortled and flew to land on Neville's shoulder where she butted her head against his, making the boy reach up to stroke her feathers and making Harry laugh. "Hedwig says you're worried about nothing. You will ace any Herbology exam and probably write a new one before we finish our NEWTs."

"Wait, what're NEWTs?" asked Justin innocently. Tonks and Diggory both laughed.

"We'll tell you tomorrow morning…" replied Diggory.

"Come on firsties, I'll take you to the Great Hall for breakfast," said Tonks, leading the way toward the door.

As the group went out the door, Diggory asked, "Potter, how does your owl talk to you?"

A chorus of voices answered, "Magic!"

*(+++++)*

Scene: Pumpkin Juice is Nasty

"What is this stuff?" Justin asked quietly as he placed the cup of juice back on the table after a single sip. "It's horrible!"

The Puffs arrived as a group of mixed years at the doorway to the Great Hall. They'd picked up three Gryffindor students along the way who wanted the safety of the group. Once in the hall, the different houses and different ages separated and moved to their unofficial places at the house tables.

The firstie Puffs looked for something to drink and the cups appeared on the table in front of them. Harry and Justin were instantly dubious about the orange-coloured liquid; they smelled it and tasted it before quickly putting down the cups and pushing them back to the centre of the table.

"That's pumpkin juice," Neville explained. "Hogwarts and St. Mungo's use it as a way to get children to take their potions."

"Potions?" asked Harry. "I took mine back in the room."

"Well as nasty as it tastes, I see how it hides the taste of potions," agreed Justin.

Harry saw Hermione entering the Great Hall with the other first year Ravenclaws and he turned around on the bench and waved to her.

"Good morning, Miss Granger."

Smiling happily, Hermione returned the greeting, "Hello, Mr. Potter. How are you this morning?"

"I'm great but we're talking about the pumpkin juice and I wondered if you'd read anything about Hogwarts giving us potions every morning?"

"I haven't read that… Let me ask around."

The girl began building her network in Ravenclaw while Harry went to Miss Tonks and then to Professor Sprout for information.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Sprout welcomed him. "I'll have your schedule for you shortly."

"Okay, Professor Sprout, but I wanted to ask about potions in the pumpkin juice. My guardian has me on nutritional potions and she said that I can't take double potions," Harry explained.

"I did receive a letter from Healer Grossman that I shared with Healer Troutman about your potion regimen. Let me see…" Pomona said as she cast a spell at the cup harry had set on the table in front of her.

The Hufflepuff head of house watched the results of her detection spell and began to frown. Seeing the deputy headmistress entering the Great Hall, Sprout told Harry not to drink the pumpkin juice, thanked him for his concern, and intercepted Minerva before she sat down.

Back at his spot at the table, Harry motioned Hermione close as he explained to Neville, Justin, and the Ravenclaw what Sprout told him about not drinking the pumpkin juice. They quickly spread the word and soon even Gryffindor and Slytherin students were pushing their cups away from their plates.

Watching the staff table, Harry saw Professor McGonagall summon a house elf who appeared with a tray of cups filled with pumpkin juice. The deputy headmistress cast detection spells and then frowned. She spoke briefly with Healer Troutman who turned bright red before drawing out a potion bottle and downing the contents. He pushed his empty pumpkin juice cup to the middle of the table as well.

Professor McGonagall spoke to another elf and suddenly all the cups of pumpkin juice began disappearing from all the tables to be replaced with pitchers of milk and orange juice, as well as pots of tea with cream and sugar.

*(+++++)*

"When you examine each student for vaccinations and such, scan them for illegal mind or mood-altering potions as well," McGonagall instructed Troutman. "A potion to believe that every word the headmaster spouts is gospel is not an approved nutritional potion!"

"You know who has to be brewing these concoctions for Albus, don't you?" Filius asked now that he'd arrived for breakfast and been updated on the morning's discovery.

Minerva glanced at Severus who was keeping his own counsel this morning, attempting to avoid the pending eruption from Mount Saint Minerva. But the deputy headmistress remained silent while gathering information.

At the other end of the table, Remus was mentally kicking himself – all these years he'd thought pumpkin juice smelled okay but left a nasty after-taste.

*(+++++)*

"Yes! Orange juice!" rejoiced Justin while Harry and Neville each had a cup of milk and then a second one of the juice. Hermione and Padma each had juice with their breakfast and all over the Great Hall, the students began eating while the four Heads of House walked the length of the tables to hand out the schedule of classes for the next three months.

"Well, this won't be so bad," Harry said. "We'll only have two practical classes on Saturdays… Potions and Charms one Saturday, and then Transfiguration and DADA the second Saturday.

"And we get DADA first thing this morning with Miss Granger and the other Ravenclaws," Neville said, reading the schedule.

*(+++++)*

Scene: DADA Class

After breakfast was cleared from the table, Harry proof read the letter he was writing to Felicity, Hagrid, Flat, Swampy, Death, and Whatcha. He knew Felicity would also share the letter with Ironstream.

"Why are you printing the letter?" asked Justin as he and Neville waited for Harry. The 'claws left to return to their tower for their books but the 'puffs had a shorter trip to their dorm so the boys waited on Harry.

Thinking carefully about his answer, Harry explained, "I have friends who are learning to read English. Cursive writing is harder to read – especially mine. If I print the letters carefully, they can sound out the words with help from Felicity and Hagrid."

"Who doesn't read English in Britain?" asked Neville.

Justin shrugged but suggested, "Maybe the goblins? My father was intrigued that there is another banking system in the kingdom that's not connected to the pound or the Euro. He talked a bit with the goblins about opportunities but I don't know what happened."

Hedwig hooted holding out her leg for the letter. Harry folded the paper, placed it inside the charmed envelope and then tied it to his owl's leg.

"Have a good flight, Hedwig. Tell the babies I said I miss them… and Hagrid!"

"What did you write in your letter?" asked Justin.

"I wrote that I'm making friends in other houses but thought I'd been sorted into the best house, Hufflepuff!"

"Yeah, 'puffs!" agreed Justin. "Say, can Miss Hedwig carry a letter to my Mother and Father tomorrow?"

Harry nodded. "Sure. She'll be back tonight or tomorrow. Let her rest a bit and then she can carry your letter."

"Want to send a letter home, Mr. Longbottom?" asked Justin and the other boy shook his head.

"I have to send one once a week but I'll wait a couple days," replied Longbottom. Nothing that had happened so far would be of any interest to his grandmother.

*(+++++)*

The trio hurried to their dorm to gather their DADA books, paper and brios – even Neville wanted to try the muggle ink pens and paper. They left with the other firsties for the classroom on the third floor and even though the staircases did move about a bit, they made it to class with time to spare.

Susan, Hannah, Sally and a couple other girls took seats in a row, so the boys took the seats across the aisle from them with Zacharias Smith, Ernie McMillian, and Joseph Martin. Harry had not spent any time talking to the three boys last night or today but he listened to the conversations between the purebloods – Bones, Smith, McMillian.

"So, Bones, are you going to be the first Dark Lady from Hufflepuff?" teased Smith. "My family will be shocked to hear that the Bones family is going dark."

"Like you could find the dark in a dark room," Hannah replied. "Susan Bones is not dark but you're a dork!"

"What's a dork?" asked McMillian while the pureblood Smith turned red.

"It's a muggle expression that means he isn't just a jerk, but he's a stupid, bumbling jerk," explained Sally. The other girls had worked hard to make the muggle-born feel welcomed today and she was determined to defend Susan and Hannah.

"Already got a minion there, Bones?" Smith teased.

Harry frowned, remembering how Dudley teased and taunted him about friends, being a 'freak'…

"Leave off, Smith," growled Harry. "Bones is not a Dark Lady."

Zacharias Smith, with a family claim to descent from Helga Hufflepuff, intended to rule her house before his seventh year. He'd decided to stake his claim to ruling the firsties early by dismantling Susan Bones, who was the only serious competition in his eyes to dominating their year. He turned to stare at the muggle-raised Potter – the almost mudblood wouldn't understand pureblood manners or politics.

"Ah… the poor little boy-who-lived speaks. Do I have to tremble in my shoes when you squeak?"

Harry stood from his seat and took a step toward Smith, "That's Mr Potter to you, 'Mr Smith'. If you are going to introduce yourself by being rude, I'll insist on you keeping to proper names."

To challenge the upstart Potter, Zach would have to stand and see if any of the other firsties moved to stand with him. He hesitated for a moment and then, Bones, Longbottom and McMillan stood up and joined Potter. Hannah whispered to the other girls who quickly rose to support Harry while Justin and Joseph scrambled from their seats to stand with Harry.

Zacharias frowned. His year-mates were united behind Potter and now he'd have to start at the bottom of the totem pole to earn a higher place in Hufflepuff. The boy wisely turned back toward the front of the room and remained silent as the 'claws arrived.

The two groups of students were well-behaved now that the drama in Hufflepuff's ranks was settled. The Ravenclaws would not begin ranking each other until they had grades to compare.

*(+++++)*

Harry was looking around the room for signs of the mysterious DADA professor when the scarred veteran of the Dark Lord's insurrection and the earlier wars with Grindelwald appeared at the lecture without the ping of apparition.

The tall man with the ruined face didn't smile or frown – Harry wondered if the man could do either with the number of scars on his face. An artificial eye swirled around while the professor twirled his wand in his hand.

"I have been told that my manner is too brusque for the sensitive feelings of little children…"

The wizard sniffed a best he could with only part of a nose. Silence permeated the classroom as Auror Alistair Moody, tilted his head first to the left and then to the right, looking at each of his students and their possessions.

In his early class of seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors, two seventh-years from Slytherin and one from Gryffindor had dared to enter his classroom with rings bearing dark magic. He'd summoned the wands of the three boys, then summoned their rings, summoned the students and left them glued to the chalk board for almost an hour. Moody spent the balance of class time discussing the error of their ways. He'd also sent the items through the flue to Amelia Bones at the DADA. She could deal with the unhappy daddies; Alistair would just duel and kill the wizards for sending their children into Hogwarts with the cursed rings.

'_I am going to check the ward stones too,_' he decided as he stared at the silent – some scared and some interested – first year 'claws and 'puffs.

He held up his wand and began, "This is a dangerous weapon. Each of you carries one. When you are away from school, keep your wand with you at all times. When you are in school, keep your wand with you at all times; in bed, in the shower, at the table eating breakfast, in the loo…"

There were a few smiles on a few faces; he nodded, _'Good not scared stiff but watching me.'_

"Do not point this weapon at another person unless you intend to use it to stop them from harming you or illegally attacking another person, be they wizard, squib, muggle, or creature."

Harry scribbled a few notes but kept his attention on the professor.

"Potter!" Moody called out and Harry's head popped up. "Tell me something important about a wizard's wand?"

"You never let anyone take your wand away from you."

Moody's eyebrows rose with surprize. "Did you read my notes already Potter?"

"No sir, but someone I trust told me that was the first rule of being a wizard."

"Good rule," Moody commented.

"All of you think for a minute about pictures of witches and wizards in battle. How the description of the victory or defeat always mentions the wands used or lost," the professor said gently. "A wizard without his wand is a dead wizard. A witch who loses her wand in the opening minutes of a fight won't live to see the end of the fight."

Suddenly he barked, "Bones, how does a witch protect her wand?"

"With a wrist holster that keeps the wand in my hand, charms to hide the wand, and a bullock's buster charm to disarm the wizard who is stupid enough to attack me," the strawberry blonde replied as she glanced at Zachariah Smith for a second.

There were horrified looks on the faces of several witches among the 'claws but the other Hufflepuff witches made notes to ask about Susan's spell.

"Good start, good start," Moody replied. He'd watched the earlier powerplay by the Smith boy under an invisibility charm and knew he'd lay a good foundation with the 'puffs this year.

*(+++++)*

"I really like Professor Moody," Harry told the others as they walked to the next class. "He knows his spells and how to fight!"

Zacharias hung back, but Neville and Justin encouraged the boy to join the whole group of 'puffs and 'claws as they went down one staircase and through a crowded hallway searching for the transfiguration classroom.

They crossed paths with the Slytherin firsties who travelled in two separate groups; the group in front consisted of students avoiding Draco Malfoy and the second group that seemed to enjoy the boy's monologue about how Malfoys handled crowds, classes, and professors.

The 'puffs and 'claws greeted the first group of Slytherins including Greengrass, Davis, Bulstrode, Nott, and Zambini. While the Slytherins were reserved, they did nod and ask about the DADA class. Once Malfoy's group joined them, the blonde boy attempted to direct the conversation toward the shame of mixing with 'mudbloods, half-bloods, and blood traitors.'

The two groups parted quickly with no one paying attention to the pontificating boy.

Then the 'puffs and 'claws began to meet the stream of Gryffindor's who dribbled from the direction of the transfiguration classroom toward the DADA classroom. The two girls walked together but two of the boys were far behind them in single file. Just as they crossed another hallway, the red headed Gryffindor firstie burst out of the loo, barrelling through the 'puffs.

"Out of my way!" he bellowed. "I'm gonna be late! Move!"

Harry and Justin made certain everyone in their group was on their feet and uninjured while the Gryffindor mouth was long gone.

"I wish a prefect would show up when he's screaming like that," Hannah Abbot said.

"Didn't Professor Sprout say we should always stick together in the hallways?" asked Justin.

"So did Tonks and Diggory," Susan confirmed.

"Maybe they can learn…," said Neville. "We'll have to talk to them."

*(+++++)*

Scene: Transfiguration Class

Again, Harry led the way into a new classroom with his wand drawn. He scanned the room for threats but only saw a grey tabby sitting on the teacher's desk. The cat yawned and stretched, attempting to reduce the boy's wariness, but Harry smiled and whispered to the other puffs before they retreated to the hallway.

Hermione didn't take a seat but came to the door to talk to Harry.

"Mr Potter, what's wrong?" she asked.

"That cat seems strange."

Granger looked over her shoulder at the cat who was staring at the students at the door with an abnormal intensity. "She does seem a bit focused on us."

"Isn't there a type of transfiguration to turn a person into an animal?" whispered Justin. "I read it in the transfiguration text book."

"I don't know…" admitted Hermione.

Harry shook his head, "We'll know everything if we work together Miss Granger."

"Okay," the girl agreed. "Is that Professor McGonagall?"

"Maybe," Neville offered.

"So, here's what we do," Harry said with a grin. He called for a house elf and the little creature popped away and back almost immediately with the requested items that it handed to Harry, Justin, Neville, Ernie, Joseph, and Zach.

Hermione returned to her seat but shook her head when Padma and the other girls tried to question her. Suddenly the boys walked into the room and went to the teacher's desk.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall," greeted Harry as he rolled a ball of yarn across the desktop. The cat's ears twitched but she didn't react.

Neville was next and he rolled his ball across the table in front of the cat while saying, "I'm looking forward to class, professor."

Ernie, Joseph and Zach rolled balls of yarn across the desk as the cat began reaching out a paw to bat the each ball of yarn back at the boy.

When Justin stepped up last, he swung the ball of yarn over the cat's head saying, "Good afternoon, professor."

The temptation proved too much and the cat leapt up to catch the ball of yarn just as the time for class began. The boy ran to a nearby seat as the cat batted the ball of yarn off the desk. Every student could see the cat wanted to chase after the balls of yarn but it resumed the original position in the centre of the desk for a moment, then blinked and stepped off the desk transforming into the tall, grey-haired teacher before reaching the floor.

"I can only assume Moody's been preaching 'constant vigilance' already," she said. "I applaud your situational awareness and will never discourage it. Transfiguration allows witches and wizards to transform objects. The animagus transformation is advanced spells that you may begin to study in your sixth year."

"Today, we will begin examining the ability to transform small, inanimate objects into a different object of the same size."

Hermione's hand was already up and McGonagall called on the girl.

"Professor, are transfigurations permanent?"

McGonagall replied, "Different types of transfiguration have different results. If you transfigure a wooden chair into a small table of the same size, it may last for years. That's transfiguration of like-for-like."

"One of the best-known examples of like-for-like transfiguration are the statues in the centre of the Ministry for Magic's atrium. The gold statues were transfigured by an artist using raw gold from a mine in Wales. They've stood there for almost one hundred years without change."

"But all transfigurations eventually revert to their original state."

After McGonagall introduced the day's lesson of transforming match sticks into silver needles, Harry asked, "Professor, does this exercise teach us more than a transfiguration spell?"

"Yes, Mr Potter, five points to Hufflepuff. This transfiguration makes you reach into your magic and begins the exercises to strengthen your connection to your magic. These exercised make your magic stronger."

As the 'claws and 'puffs began practicing the wand movements and the incantation, McGonagall quietly walked up and down the rows of students offering encouragement and direction. When she came to Harry Potter's desk, the boy handed her a nice, silver needle.

"That was very quick Mr. Potter," she said. "Can you do it again?"

She handed him another match and she watched as the boy's wand popped from this wrist holder, and he cast the incantation and movements exactly as she'd instructed.

The match stick turned into a silver needle with very little trouble. She picked up the needle again, aware that the other students now watched her closely.

"Very good Mr Potter, five points for Hufflepuff."

McGonagall drew out another match and placed it on the desktop again. "This time, I want you to create an image in your mind of a decorated needle. Cover the needle with calligraphy, flowers, any form of decoration."

Before the end of class, Hermione, Ernie, Padma, Justin, and Susan were able to transfigure their match sticks into needles. They each earned five points for their house.

Harry had created a needle with an intricate design of a flying owl that earned his house another five points. But Neville's spell work ignited each of the matches the professor placed on his desk, and the boy sighed, fearing the label 'squib' would be thrown his way again.

McGonagall stared at desk with the scorch marks on it – the young wizard had power that much was evident. He lacked focus.

'_His wand!'_ she realized. _'It shows sign of wear and other scorch marks – Augusta Longbottom, I'll strangle you! The boy didn't get his own wand!'_

"Mr Longbottom, may I have word while the others wait in the hallway."

She addressed the class, "After eating lunch, wait in the Great Hall for the Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. She will escort both the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs to the library for your tour. Listen to Madam Pince carefully."

When the others were out the door – Potter and Finch-Fletchley remained visible in the doorway – McGonagall asked, "Mr Longbottom, where did you get the wand you're using?"

The boy blushed and explained, "My grandmother said if I was truly a wizard, I would use my father's wand and make something of myself."

Minerva nodded her head. "Just as I thought. Mr Longbottom, I will speak to Professor Sprout about taking you to Ollivander's for your own wand on Saturday if possible. Your father was a great Auror but his wand certainly isn't tuned to your magic. That was his third wand."

"Really?" Neville asked, looking at the wand as if he'd never seen it before that moment.

"Frank burned out his first wand during his OWLs. He broke the second one in a battle with Deatheaters in Diagon Alley when he was twenty." She pointed to the wand in Neville's hand and said, "I believe your mother took him to Gregorovitch on the continent for his third wand."

"My Mom and Dad…" Neville whispered holding the wand closer.

"It is an heirloom but you must have your own wand; they would be proud of you in any case."

Neville nodded, "Yes professor. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr Longbottom. Now your friends are waiting for you and Madam Pince will not tolerate tardiness."

*(+++++)*

Scene: The Library

After a pleasant lunch in the Great Hall, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw firsties were escorted to the Hogwarts Library by Miss Clearwater, the fifth-year prefect from Ravenclaw. The children followed the pleasant young witch and outside the heavy door, she paused and admonished them, "The librarian allows you to talk within the library but you must use a low voice and never interrupt the other students. There are seventh year students who have already begun projects that will help determine their livelihoods after graduation and we can't interrupt them."

The stern witch stood in the centre of the hallway with great stacks of books reaching as far as the children could see.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts Library," she said quietly. "I am Irma Pince, and I am the librarian. It is my pleasure and duty and pleasure to help you find the books with the information you need to grow as wizards and witches. It is also my duty to protect these books, scrolls and hand-written tomes."

She motioned toward a large card catalogue that dwarfed anything the muggleborn had seen in school or public libraries and certainly dwarfed anything the purebloods had seen at home in their protected libraries. Then she led them to another door, deep in the library. After ushering them inside, she gestured to the tables, chairs and glass enclosures holding about fifty books.

"This is a new room in the library this year," Pince explained to the firsties. "We're calling it the Reading Room, because the books in this room cannot be removed from the room for any reason."

"What if Hogwarts is on fire?" asked Michael Corner.

"The library has an autonomous set of wards that I control as Librarian," Pince announced. "The fire suppression ward is fully charged. Just as the ward against theft and mischievousness in the stacks. Mr. Potter's father learned in the first week of his first year that no one plays pranks in the library."

"Now, if you wish to read a copy of one of these books…" the stern librarian indicated a set of books behind a glass, "…you will call for an elf and the house elf will provide you with a copy. When you are finished reading, you can pass the book to another student in the room or place it on the table top and it will vanish."

"Is it legal to make copies of the book?" asked Hermione. "Who are these elves you refer to?

"Quiet!" Pince snapped at the girl who blushed and fell silent. "In 1844, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the Wizengamot made an exception to copyright laws within the walls of this library for out-of-print books. The house elves can make you copies of the books in this room for your use within this room."

Before anyone could ask additional questions, the librarian led the students out of the reading room and back to the check-out desk to explain the process for checking out other books to carry to their dormitories to read.

*(+++++)*

Pince concluded the tour by talking about the broad number of subjects stored in the library.

"We have scrolls written between the Sorcerer Merlin and the Witch Morgana le Fey arguing about the origins of magic. This valuable correspondence is in our historical section along with the original drafts of the treaty eventually signed by King Charles II and the first Minister for Magic, Ambrose Fleamont."

Each child could hear the love that the librarian kept fresh in her heart for the valuable works in this collection.

"There are illustrated books from Spain that were written by hand before the witches and wizards fled the inquisition for Britain and Morocco, other ancient scrolls from Roman."

"Madam Pince, can we read them?" asked Hermione politely when the librarian paused to take a breath.

Pince looked the girl in the eye and nodded before explaining, "When you have reached the proper place in your studies, the Library will prompt me to take you to the appropriate books, if they are from Merlin or from Allison Featherwrinkle."

"Who is Featherwrinkle?" asked Justin.

"She was the witch in the later part of the 1880s who created and documented the household charms that everyone uses today," replied Pince. "The charms to make your bed, wash your dishes…"

"Balderdash!" called a voice from behind the doors. "That's what house elves are for! The woman just copied the elves and made a fortune that her grandchildren squandered on mudbloods."

The librarian and the students turned toward the loud voice and found Draco Malfoy with his pair of thugs bracketed around him standing just inside the door. The young witch who had been labelled as a thug was nowhere to be seen.

Ignoring the other students, Draco sauntered forward and sniffed dismissively at the 'claws and 'puffs before turning to Madam Pince. "You, librarian, I need a copy of Effective Defence Against Muggles. Bring it to me…" Draco paused as he looked about the room and pointed to an occupied table near a bright window, "…over there."

He glanced at his thugs and said, "Convince the mudblood sitting there to move before I arrive."

The two boys stepped in the direction of the table immediately while Harry and the others watched the librarian draw her wand and begin casting a few spells.

*(+++++)*

Draco was silenced though his mouth began to open and close as though he were shouting. The two thugs ran from the library as silent hexes stung their posteriors. The seventh-year 'puff, Roger Heathcliff, glanced up from the latest draft of his proposal to improve the apparition spell but immediately returned to his work.

Flitwick, McGonagall and Pince agreed with Sprout that the Hufflepuff's seventh-year project held great promise to offer a breakthrough in apparition that could be used around the world. They were supporting his research and testing this year and they would help him publish his work in the spring, before graduation.

*(+++++)*

"Who is this Slytherin?" asked Pince asked the 'claws and 'puffs still waiting for her tour of the library to conclude.

When no one else would speak, Harry admitted, "His name is Draco Malfoy."

Draco turned an interesting shade of red to have his name spoken aloud by a half-blood. He attempted to draw his wand and Pince summoned it from his hand. The boy continued to rage – silently – while Pince sent a Patronus message. The image of owl appeared near the librarian for a moment before it sped away through the walls.

Professor Snape arrived in the library shortly but his face was red with exertion or anger, the students were not certain of which. Irma Pince calmly informed him of the words and actions of his first year Slytherin student without any characterization of 'Gryffindor' or 'thug' though she could tell that the Potions professor inserted the descriptive terms himself as he listened. An alumnus of Slytherin herself, she could tell that Snape was truly 'hearing' her disappointment and anger that a member of her house could act in such a public manner.

Finally, Pince summoned the boy from the corner where she'd placed him and all the students could see that he was still angry rather than fearful of punishment.

"What do you suggest for punishment?"

"He is banned from the library for twenty school days and the weekend days as well. Before he can return to the library, he must give me a sincere apology in front of yourself and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall."

Pince looked at Snape and said, "I suggest you find some way make him understand that he must curb the characteristics he exhibits of another house. The true Slytherins in the castle will not tolerate this for long."

With that her magic pushed Draco from the library. Snape followed him, removed the silencing spell, and immediately began dragging the boy away though he protested and continued to threaten the librarian.

Shaking her head in disappointment, Pince turned back to her captive audience. She held up Draco's wand for them to see.

"I imagine that at some point Mr Malfoy will realize that he left his wand behind in the library. He might have trouble with his lessons in charms, transfiguration and DADA without this…"

"Professor Moody told us to never allow anyone else to take our wands," said Maria Edgecombe from the group of Ravenclaw girls.

Pince nodded. "Moody's advice is sound. Another piece of advice, don't pick a fight with an opponent who can wipe the desktops with you without breaking a sweat."

"Now, where were we?" the librarian said as she concluded their tour.

*(+++++)*

"Harry…" Neville wanted to talk with his new friend about what they'd seen happen with Draco Malfoy but he slipped up and called the boy-who-lived by his given name without permission. They had returned to the Hufflepuff dorms in the dungeons before dinner and were dropping off their book bags.

Neville glanced over to see Harry with a grin on his face, so he asked, "Can I call you Harry?"

"Yes!" Harry responded. "I wondered how long we had to go with 'Mr. Snuffles' and 'Miss Kitty' before we could use first names!"

"Who is 'Mr Snuffles? And I know we don't have anyone named 'Miss Kitty'," Neville asked.

"I was making fun…" Harry began to say when he saw that Neville was fighting to keep from grinning.

"Good one, Neville!" Harry admitted. "Miss Granger still has my book on pureblood etiquette and I wanted to look up how soon we could change."

"Well, it won't change with the Slytherins or most of the upper year student even in our house. We can get away with calling them just by the last name, like 'Tonks', but not 'Dora'."

"Do the professors ever call us by our first names?" asked Harry.

Neville shook his head and said, "I don't think so. All grownups will call you 'Mr Potter 'in public and private until you are grown and you form friendships with them."

"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Longbottom whispered, once again serious.

"Okay," Harry said and sat on his bed to let Neville speak. But his friend remained silent and Harry grew concerned, "What's the matter? Is it something awful?"

"Do you think Snape will beat Malfoy?" asked Neville in a whisper, afraid to say the words aloud.

Harry froze as memories of his uncle's heavy hand and belt came to mind. The number of times his aunt swung at him with a frying pan or pot was well remembered. His cousin's fists and kicks…

Neville's words stumbled out and into the air, "My… my gran and uncle still use a cane when they think I misbehave or speak out of turn…"

"Me too," Harry confessed without looking at his friend. "Where I lived before Felicity took me… my aunt and uncle hit me a lot too."

"Malfoy's a jerk but still…" Neville said as he rubbed his arm remembering when it was sore from his gran's jerking him up from the floor when he was little.

"What do we do?" asked Harry.

Neville shook his head while Hedwig chose that moment to fly into the room.

"How does she get into the dungeons?" Neville asked while Harry merely shrugged before the young wizard began explaining to his familiar about the scene in the library. The owl was silent for a moment and then chirped a short question.

"Yes, he called the other student a 'mudblood'," Harry explained. "Madam Pince banned Malfoy from the library for the whole of October but left any other punishment up to Professor Snape."

Harry paused but then added, "We're scared that Professor Snape will beat him."

Hedwig looked at Neville and chirped another question that Harry translated, "She wants to know if you were beaten."

"Yes, Miss Hedwig. My gran and my uncle hit me, not as much now as when I was smaller," Neville admitted. "Harry told me that his aunt and uncle…"

The owl fluffed up all her feathers and then flew over to Harry's bed where she paced back and forth on the covers for a minute. Then she turned to Harry and chirped a long message.

"Hedwig says we go to Professor Sprout now and ask her to if students get beatings from other professors. We can try and get her to talk to Snape… maybe McGonagall about talking to Professor Snape not to beat Draco."

Neville nodded, "We could say that Malfoy should get detention with a different professor every night October and the professors talk to the boy about how it was wrong…"

*(+++++)*

The two boys with Hedwig flying behind them found Dora Tonks in the common room.

"Professor Sprout will be in her office with her seventh-year project students now," Tonks explained. The two firsties with the owl took off at a run before the prefect could dissuade them. "But she's really busy and won't want to be… interrupted…"

*(+++++)*

Sprout's office door was closed and Harry knocked before trying the door knob. It was locked and he knocked again, just as the door opened. It was the student from the library, Roger Heathcliff, who smiled at the boys and the owl.

"Already in trouble on the first day of classes?" he teased; tonight, he was going to celebrate quietly with a few friends because the committee of professors agreed that he was on track to create a new spell for apparition before graduation.

He called over his shoulder but kept a smile on his face, "Professor Sprout, there are a couple firsties with their owl here to see you."

Heathcliff noticed the look the two boys exchanged before he glanced back into the office to add, "It looks pretty serious."

"Come in boys," Sprout called from her desk. "I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Heathcliff."

The seventh-year wizard hurried to the dorm to return the book bag to his dorm room before heading to supper with the other students. Professor Sprout was sitting behind her desk as she straightened a set of papers that she carefully placed inside a large envelope labelled 'Heathcliff'.

"Mr Longbottom, Mr. Potter, Miss Hedwig, what brings you to my office this first evening?" she asked curiously.

The two boys took turns telling the story about Draco's expulsion from in the library and why they were concerned about what would happen to the boy. About halfway through the story, Pomona flicked her wand and cast a privacy spell. The portraits in her office were frozen in place and all noise from outside the office ceased.

"And what is it you want me to do?" the witch asked when the two boys ended their story about Draco and their own history of heavy-handed guardians.

Hedwig began chortling and she only stopped when the professor's face grew impatient. Harry translated for his familiar, "Hedwig says that if adults beat Malfoy enough, it'll help turn him into a Dark Lord."

"But he is in a different house," Sprout replied. "It is very hard for me to interfere. Professor Snape is responsible for…"

"Excuse me, professor, but if Susan Bones is worthy of saving from being a Dark Lady, then Draco Malfoy must be saved to," Neville said though his voice was a little shaky.

Harry nodded his head and continued, "We don't think students should be hit or caned."

Neville whispered, "It only makes you hate them…"

"No one beats or canes students at Hogwarts," Pomona assured the boys. "The professors won't allow it and the headmaster is adamantly against corporal punishment of any kind."

Aggravated but proud of the two 'puffs at the same time, Pomona Sprout stared at them for a moment… and then the owl before the professor smiled, rose from her desk and said, "Well… come along. I shall speak with Professor Snape during dinner and confirm that there was no beating."

*(+++++)*

During the dessert course, Pomona slipped from her seat to stand and speak with Severus. After casting a privacy spell that included Snape, Troutman and herself, Sprout explained that two of her 'puffs had inquired about Draco's fate.

"And why would any Badger care about a Slytherin?"

"They both have been beaten by their relatives…"

"Every small child's behaviour requires correction and sometimes…"

Troutman interjected his news at this point, "The boys have scars and histories of broken bones, Severus. Both are heirs of noble houses and both were tortured by their relatives before coming to Hogwarts."

Shocked, Severus muttered, "Potter and Longbottom?"

Sprout nodded and the Potions master replied, "Tell both boys that Draco has not been beaten or caned. I will not tell his father of the incident but will ask Professor McGonagall to help me talk with Draco."

"Thank you, Severus," Pomona said before returning to her pudding.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Harry's Letter Home

In London, Felicity Grossman finished updating her appointment book and reports when the door to her office opened to allow Hedwig to fly into the room. The owl landed on the window sill, and hooted excitedly, holding up her leg.

The owl's hoots were excited, but not distressed. "Drink water and eat some treats, Hedwig. Let me read the letter and then we'll go down and visit Hagrid and his children."

The healer opened the charmed envelope and pulled out the muggle paper. She read the letter quickly for highlights and then read it slowly for all the details.

A knock on her door revealed Ironstream and three other goblins, all anxious to hear the news from Hogwarts.

"He's in Hufflepuff with several people who will be friends. There was a commotion during the sorting with a fake hat that Dumbledore's phoenix and Hedwig confounded…"

"Come, we'll go to the dungeons and you can read the letter aloud for goblins, Hagrid, and his 'children'," Ironstream said leading the way to a cart that sped deep under the bank.

"Did a letter come?" asked Hagrid as Hedwig flew into the underground chamber where the four young dragons called with owl-like hoots to greet their friend.

"Healer Grossman will read the letter aloud to everyone," Ironstream said. He glanced about and instructed one of the other goblins to make certain there were comfortable seats installed here for goblins and witches in the future.

"The dog will sleep on the chairs," the goblin rebutted the chieftain.

"The dragons think the dog is their mother. I dare say the dog can chew on your head for the next hour and no one will speak ill of him."

The goblin stepped behind the others but he would see that chairs of various sizes were brought into the chamber.

The Felicity began to read:

**Dear Family (Felicity, Ironstream, Hagrid, Flat, Swampy, Killer and Whatcha)**

**I miss you but have lots of exciting news to tell you. I got sorted into Hufflepuff after meeting lots of kids on the Express. My head of house is Professor Sprout and my two roommates are Neville Longbottom and Justin Fletch-Finchley. We are different – Neville is a pureblood raised by his grandmother. I'm the half-blood raised by muggles and then rescued by Hagrid, goblins and the world's best healer. Justin is a muggle-born wizard who doesn't think there were any other magical people in his family. **

**I have transfiguration this morning and 'defence against the dark arts' that everybody calls 'DADA'. Our professors are Minerva McGonagall for transfiguration and an Auror named Alistair Moody. He's got a wooden leg and a magical eye!**

**Tomorrow, I have potions, charms and herbology with Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout.**

**The food is good and I know Whatcha would like the pudding last night – it was chocolate cake. **

**Justin Fletch-Finchley just said that I need to tell you more about the sorting. There was a 'False Chapeau' (I can't pronounce that second word but Neville Longbottom helped me spell it and Hermione Granger says she'll teach me French.**

**The fake hat sang a strange song in Swedish and Professor McGonagall asked what the headmaster what he'd done to the hat. That's when the fire bird they say is a phoenix appeared in the Great Hall with the real Sorting Hat. Hedwig and the phoenix threw the fake hat around above the tables. The hat yelled about being too young to be an owl's nest and he wanted his union representative. I had to explain that to all the purebloods a couple times. **

Swampy interrupted the reading for a minute as she asked Hedwig a couple questions in owl. The answer took some time but the dragons appeared to be laughing as Hedwig demonstrated her flight to pass the fake hat to the phoenix.

"I never thought to hear dragons laughing," Ironstream whispered to Healer Grossman.

"I'll make sure to mention it in my letter to Harry," she said before returning to reading Harry's letter.

**The fake hat kept singing strange songs in Swedish and German. He said he'd have to sing about somebody named Carmen before the night was over but I don't think he did. **

**When the Sorting Hat and Professor McGonagall finally got around to sorting us, the fake hat kept labelling each kid before they were sorted. The niece of the Bones lady was called a 'Dark Lady in Training' but then the fake hat and Professor Sprout had an argument. The hat told our professor to fix the problem. Miss Bones is in Hufflepuff and we'll make certain she knows we don't want her to be a Dark Lady.**

**Most of the other kids were called 'True'. A few were called 'Thugs'. When it was my turn, Hedwig flew around while the fake hat said I was the 'Great Speaker'. Any idea what that means?**

Again, the dragons vocalized their happiness while the goblins consulted with each other quietly.

**I have to head to class. Write me soon and tell me the news from Gringotts. Killer, how is your Garfish coming along? Has Swampy figured out how to write yet? **

**Felicity, make certain you duplicate the letter and leave an large copy for the dragons to practice their reading. **

**Love to everyone! **

**Harry**

*(+++++)*


	17. Chapter 17

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

This chapter has been reloaded with the correct ending. Apologies to readers.

The professors observe the students beginning to work without regard to their 'house' affiliation. Harry and his friends begin Herbology and Potions with surprizing results. The problems with doxies and pixies infesting greenhouses are brought up and Neville explains the many uses for aconite in their first potions class.

Chapter 17 Second Day

The 'puffs arrived as a group in the Great Hall that second morning but with a murder of Ravenclaws and a pride of Lions mixed in their numbers. There were even a few Snakes in the crowd and in their intensity of conversations about yesterday's classes, a few students ended up sitting at a different table for breakfast.

At the staff table, Minerva McGonagall held her breath as Severus Snape entered and without comment, bypassed the two 'claws, Granger and Patil, sitting with his Slytherins, Greengrass and Davis, at the end of the Slytherin table and arguing about transfiguration. The Nott and Corner boys were similarly engaged at the Ravenclaw table.

Professor Flitwick remained at the opposite end of the tables on guard for any disturbances as the older Slytherin students entered. Glancing first at the watchful face of Professor Flitwick and then at the calm visage of their head of house at the staff table, talking to Healer Troutman, the older students shrugged that the muggleborn and Indian witches were sitting at their table.

The flurry of wings filled the air as the post owls arrived with letters from home and copies of the Daily Prophet for subscribers. Someone had sent home a memory of the sorting and there were photos captured from the memory from two nights before with the False Chapeau flying through the air between Hedwig and Fawkes, of Professor McGonagall holding up the Sorting Hat for all to see, and of the bouncing heads of students moving back and forth between the two hats.

"It was someone at the Gryffindor table," Justin told the boys gathered at the end of the 'puff's table. "You see Diggory and Tonks in the photo with their backs turned to the person watching."

"Say guys, Neville and I decided last night we'd become friends enough to use first names. Can we all give that a try?" asked Harry.

"I agree," said Ernie and he was echoed by Joseph. Zach hesitated a moment. But Susan and Hannah, leading the girls in 'puff jumped into the conversation.

"We agree so long as everyone behaves," Hannah announced.

Zach had little choice but to agree. He'd have to work hard to climb to the top of the Hufflepuff social network after his little defeat at Potter's hands.

"Good," Harry replied. "We'll check with the 'claws, Lions and Snakes later."

"Harry," asked Zach. "Do you think the Slytherins will be friends with... with you?"

The boy-who-lived almost shrugged but then remembered the Etiquette book rule that 'Wizards and witches do not shrug like muggles!'.

"Zacharias, I want to be friends with people in every house. I guess that some people won't be friends, but that's their choice." Harry paused and smiled, "If everyone gets along, the professors'll worry we're up to no good."

*(+++++)*

Hedwig chose that moment to land on the table, chortling at Harry in greeting and holding out her leg for him to detach three letters. The owl and young wizard began an animated conversation that captured the attention of students at the tables on either side of them and eventually the staff table.

"And you had a good flight down to London? How were Felicity and Ironstream?" Harry asked before the owl began a long reply to which the boy paid close attention.

"Good. And how were the babies and Hagrid?" he asked. Hedwig had a long answer again that had Harry laughing at one point.

"Harry, I understand that Hedwig is your familiar and she can understand you," Justin said. "But I don't quite understand how you can understand her."

Harry looked at Hedwig and the owl chortled a long answer that the young wizard translated, "According to Hedwig, there's a magical link between us that is unusual. Neville and his toad familiar are linked together but don't understand each other like Hedwig and me."

"Okay, but how?"

Harry shook his head and said, "She says I have to read a bunch of books before I can explain it to anyone."

Hermione paid attention to the conversation and asked, "May I read the books that Miss Hedwig tells you to read, Harry?"

"Of course," Harry replied. "I need you to read them so we can talk about what they mean."

"When can we get these books?" asked Hermione with Padma, Michael Corner, and Justin paying close attention.

The owl hooted her laughter and chortled an answer that made Harry frown before he translated, "She said 'next year'. We have to build a solid foundation in charms, transfiguration and shields before she'll tell us what books to read.

Neville listened but didn't contribute to the conversation. He did catch Hedwig's eye and she winked at him, leaving him grinning at the owl's plan to make them all work harder.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Hedwig and Trevor

The Herbology class for the first year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students included learning their way around Greenhouse Two with the large number of herbs and potion ingredient plants growing under artificial light and perfect humidity. This was their first class after breakfast and with the practical portion, would last almost three hours.

First, Professor Sprout introduced the students to essential definitions for the herbology class and the objectives for the shortened fall term. Then she led them outside to the three greenhouses where she and the students grew both magical and muggle plants for use in the potions' laboratory and the kitchens at Hogwarts.

"While Scotland provides plenty of moisture year-round, we have to use heating charms ten months out of the year in Greenhouse One and Two. We allow Greenhouse Three to cool off in January to provide the native plants from Britain to 'rest' for a two-month winter before we begin bringing them back to life with warmth in March."

Neville raised his hand and asked, "How much light do you give the plants in the other greenhouses, professor?"

'_Huh?'_ thought Harry, Justin, Hermione and Padma who were standing with Neville.

"Excellent question, Mr. Longbottom," replied Professor Sprout. "Greenhouses One and Two are kept on the length of day cycle of spring to fall without fail. The plants there continually cycle from the first day of spring to the first day of autumn."

"Five points to Hufflepuff," Sprout said proudly and Neville sat back surprized. Harry grinned at his friend and even Hermione nodded in approval.

On Harry's shoulder, Hedwig hooted quietly at the end of the class and Harry translated, "Neville, Hedwig asks if we could look for Trevor. She wants to check on him here in the greenhouse."

Checking the amount of light in the room, Neville said, "He'll be underneath a table or some large plant staying out of the light."

"We'll see you in Potions class after lunch," Hermione said as she and the other Ravenclaws fled the greenhouse.

"I guess she doesn't want to search for the toad," Justin said wiggling his eyebrows as the boys remembered her lifting her feet from the floor of the train compartment on the trip to Hogwarts when Trevor freed himself.

"How do we find him?" asked Harry.

"Find who?" asked Mr. Lupin, the man introduced as Professor Sprout's assistant in the greenhouses.

"Morning, Professor Lupin," Harry said. "We're looking for Neville's large toad. My owl wanted to check on him."

"Your owl?" asked the tall man.

Hedwig hooted a bit and Harry grinned. "Hedwig says that you are an excellent hunter and should be able to smell the toad even with the plants and children running about."

Remus looked at the owl with interest and she returned the examination with both large eyes, scanning up and down his form.

"Mr. Remus Lupin, this is Mr. Potter's familiar, Miss Hedwig Snowy Owl," Professor Sprout made the introduction as she interrupted the conversation. "Don't refer to her as anything other than 'Miss Hedwig' or you'll be called the 'man' or worse in her conversations for several days."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Miss Granger is still called 'girl'," explained Harry. "Hedwig gets her point across."

Remus bowed his head to the owl and with a grin on his face said, "Then, let's find Miss Hedwig's friend Trevor."

He led the boys back and forth twice along the length of the greenhouse before stopping in the centre, pulling out his wand and casting, "Point me Trevor the toad."

The wand spun around a bit and pointed toward Greenhouse One. "Now, how would he get from Greenhouse Two to the other greenhouse without… Did someone move him?"

"I haven't moved him, professor," Neville quickly explained. "But he did always seem to move around my greenhouses at home pretty easily."

The group quickly moved to Greenhouse One where large plants provided deep shade under the artificial but hot, midday sun. Immediately, Remus was able to smell the toad sleeping underneath a large Prickly Pear Tree, a plant that provided stickers with potent sap used in many potions to make glues and potions to reconnect tissues torn by accidents, falls, or sharp objects.

Hedwig glided from Harry's shoulder to the ground and hooted into the shadows a bit before the toad hopped out and appeared to talk with the owl. Finally, she hooted at her wizard who drew a dead mouse from a pocket in his back pack and handed it to Neville.

"Trevor wants a mouse for lunch, and Hedwig wanted you to feed him," Harry explained. Without hesitation, Neville took the mouse by the tail and knelt beside Trevor, dangling it before the toad's mouth. In an instant, the toad's long, bright red tongue shot out to grab the rodent and pull the 'lunch' into his mouth.

"That's so cool," Neville said. "Trevor, you're great!"

Hedwig began hooting again and Harry translated, "Professor Lupin, Hedwig wanted me to ask you to tell Professor Sprout that the doxies in Greenhouse One have dug a lot of tunnels underneath the ground and that's how Trevor moved from Greenhouse Two to Greenhouse One. And he says the doxies don't taste good but they do fight and leave the rats lying about for the old owls to pick up at night."

"Rats? Here in Hogwarts?" asked Remus. "I… there's are wards against rats here in the castle."

"Trevor says there is a large colony of rats in the dungeons below the Slytherin dorms and the potions lab. They come out at night and house elves keep closing up all the holes they dig."

"Rats in the potions lab?" asked Remus with growing concern.

Harry looked at Hedwig who chortled again for Harry to translate as, "Yes and a few come to the greenhouses but the owls catch them in the open at night."

Now Harry turned to Neville and asked, "Hedwig also wants to know if you have doxies in your greenhouses at home?"

Neville shook his head and said, "I have a large colony of pixies in my greenhouses. I let more of my greenhouse 'rest' in the winter and that favours the pixies over doxies."

He looked around and pointed out the small nibbles on many of the leaves of the largest plants, "Doxies chew up plants, draperies and clothes by their nature. Pixies can't stand doxies and drive them away from the plants in my greenhouses."

Remus said, "Five points to Hufflepuff, Mr Longbottom. We'll have to talk with Professor Sprout about this."

"I'm sure she knows, professor. When your greenhouse operates year-round, you always have more doxies. That's why she has so many Pixie-dust vine planted everywhere. It helps counteract the doxies."

*(+++++)*

At lunch, there was a lot of noise at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables – for once Hufflepuff was already ahead in the house points race with Ravenclaw as a close second. The professors at the staff table discussed the display during their meal but agreed to allow the natural progression of points; even Severus was willing to play fair here at the beginning of the year.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Professor Snape's Class

After lunch, the happy group of children from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw made their way into the dungeons of Hogwarts, looking for the classroom for potions. As they descended stairs from the level with the Great Hall and the entrance to Hufflepuff, the hallways grew cold and empty.

"Diggory said the Slytherin dormitory is down here and the potions classroom is just up the hallway from the hidden entrance…" Justin was saying.

Harry snickered, "If the entrance to Slytherin is hidden, how can we use it to find the potions classroom?"

Justin turned pale and Neville actually said, "I think Diggory was trying to prank us."

"No, the potions classroom is really down here," Padma from Ravenclaw said. "My sister told me at lunch that her class was here this morning and Professor Snape was very strict."

Hermione nodded, "We'll be fine. 'claws and 'puffs work together and follow the rules."

"Most of the time," Zach added.

Without too much trouble, the firsties finally found the doorway marked as the Potions Classroom. Harry turned the door knob and found it locked. Susan Bones kept her wand lit with a luminous charm to brighten the hallway.

"Why do you suppose it's locked?" asked Hannah as the students made themselves as comfortable as possible.

Hermione and Padma whispered together for a moment and then said, "Professor Snape must keep the door locked between classes to protect the potions ingredients and to protect students."

"Some things used in potions are very expensive and other ingredients are explosive," Padma explained.

Neville seemed to be thinking very quickly and nodded, "I can think of six plants we saw in the greenhouse this morning that would be explosive if mixed together with some heat. If the greenhouses ever caught fire, they'd blow up the entire backside of Hogwarts."

"I was just remembering what Professor Moody said about paying attention to the situation around you," said Michael Corner. "This hallway would be a terrible place to get trapped."

"He's right," agreed Justin.

"What do we do?" asked Padma.

"We take precautions… that's what my aunt always tells me to do," said Susan Bones and she quickly ordered the students at the back of the group to turn around and draw their wands. She moved to join them and told Harry to knock on the door.

*(+++++)*

Severus Snape heard the knock on the classroom door as he prepared the classroom for his next class with firsties; his patience was worn thin after the dunderheads from Gryffindor and Slytherin blew up three cauldrons in the morning class, and between classes, the Weasley twins tried to get into the potion stores. Those irritating third years had already earned another week's detention with the squib who cleaned the floors around Hogwarts. He strode to the door and flung it open to find the eyes of Lily Evans staring back at him.

*(+++++)*

Come in, come in," Snape instructed the students. "Don't dawdle in the hallway…"

He paused in his usual tirade when he noticed the configuration of the children with the Bones heiress among the 'defenders' at the back of the pack.

'_Apparently Moody has already made an impression,'_ he decided. Once the students were seated, he closed the classroom door more gently than he'd opened it and walked to the front of the room.

He glanced at the faces of the 'claws and 'puffs; these children wanted to be here… wanted to learn.

Severus threw out his standard speech that usually drove at least one firstie to tears and began anew.

"The brewing of a potion is more than mixing together ingredients to create an elixir that restores a lost limb or cures a disease. Potions are a science that is available to any wizard or witch with even a modicum of magic. It can save lives or destroy nations."

He stared at the children who paid close attention to his statements. "We do not use wands to create potions so put them away."

There followed a moment of noise as students moved wands to pockets or bags. Snape noticed the Potter boy push his wand back into wrist holder.

"This term, we will begin by brewing simple potions that your familiars could brew if they had opposable thumbs. Even a monkey in the zoo could brew these potions," the potions professor said and noted that most of the students smiled at the subtle reference to chimps.

"Without shouting out any answers, but by raising your hands, who knows what I am brewing if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

'_What… infusion… what?'_ wondered most of the children including Potter.

Only three of the Ravenclaws raised their hands; Hermione, Padma, and Michael. The Hufflepuffs looked concerned that this was not information covered in the first chapter of their text book they'd read last night.

"Again, with a show of hands, who can tell me where I would find a bezoar?"

This time, there were half a dozen hands in the air, four from Ravenclaw and two from Hufflepuff.

"And who knows why a potion master or healer would have such an item handy?"

The same six hands were raised into the air.

"Now, again with a show of hands, what is the difference between wolfsbane and monkshood?"

Neville Longbottom quickly raised his hand to answer the last question though his hand was the only one up this time.

Snape looked surprised to see a firstie attempt to answer that fifth-year question.

"What's your name?" he asked the boy.

"Neville Longbottom, sir."

"Alright Neville, for five points, what is the difference between wolfsbane and monkshood?"

"They are the same plant, sir," Neville replied. "The proper name is Aconitum but it has many common names including aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, mousebane, and queen of poisons. It was used in ancient times as a poison on the tips of arrows in battles but not when hunting. The different parts of the plant are used for different poisons and in some healing potions but it is very dangerous. Anytime you handle the plant for harvesting, trimming or propagating, you have to wear dragonhide gloves and clean the gloves immediately after."

Snape was confounded for a moment; the child was a fountain of information for ingredients in potions if he knew this much about aconite.

"Mr Longbottom was it?"

"Yes sir," Neville replied cautiously.

"Come forward and look at the specimens on this table at the front of the room. I want you to identify them and evaluate the condition of the potion ingredients for me."

"Uh… yes sir," Neville responded before he glanced at Harry.

His roommate nodded and whispered, "You can do it Neville. You know everything about plants."

While Neville went to the front of the room, Justin asked, "Professor, can you tell us about the first two questions you asked?"

"Yes, please," added Hannah Abbot.

Snape frowned just a moment but decided to give the Longbottom boy a moment before he quizzed him again.

"Very well, when you prepare your cauldron properly, you can combine asphodel and wormwood together with a binding agent to make a sleeping potion we call the Draught of Living Death. Persons who take this potion appear to be dead but are actually in a sleep so deep that only another potion can awaken them."

"Like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White?" asked Sally-Anne from the 'puffs, who immediately blushed to have named two princesses from Muggle fairy tales.

Rather than snap at the girl, Snape who had read the same fairy tales as a child, asked her name, "Miss?"

"Perks, sir. Sally-Anne Perks."

"Well then Miss Perks, most muggle fairy tales are revisions of things that happened to witches and wizards. I want you to research the true stories behind the fairy tales and discover what really happened to those two witches. How were they poisoned, and how were they revived?"

"They were real? They were witches?" the young witch asked, though her imagination immediately placed her in the library pouring over magical fairy tales and history books seeking the truths of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

"Yes, they were witches, just like yourself?" Snape affirmed.

"Now, a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat when it is butchered. If you are given a poison by accident or on purpose, and you can swallow a bezoar and it will neutralize most poisons."

*(+++++)*

In the Great Hall that evening, the Gryffindor firsties approached the Hufflepuff table and asked about their first potions class.

"How many cauldrons did you blow up?" asked Lavender.

"Did Snape turn red?" asked Parvati. "I think I have a shawl that colour of red at home."

Ron Weasley nodded and said, "We lost almost twenty points in potions today! 'course the twins lost twenty when Snape caught 'em trying to get into the potion cabinet."

"That's dangerous!" Hannah replied. "In our class, we talked about how the different ingredients can explode."

"Wow! Tell me," Seamus insisted on knowing.

Susan Bones stared the boy down and asked, "If you blow up Gryffindor tower, you'll be dead."

"Naw, the twins already told us to do any experiments in the unused classrooms far away from the dorms." Ron looked around the table and whispered, "My mother and father questioned Fred and George about the fire here at Hogwarts this summer. They pressed 'em real hard to tell if the twins left any experiments lying around that might have begun the fire."

"And did they?" asked Zach after he noticed Susan's expression of outrage.

Ron shook his head, "They swore on their magic it wasn't nothing they'd done."

The red-head ventured closer to Harry but kept an arm's length away with the owl on the shoulder of the boy-who-lived. Keeping his eye on the owl, Ron asked, "So Harry, how many points did you lose in potions class today?"

"Mr Weasley, I enjoy your stories but I don't think we're on a first name basis," Harry replied. "I earned five points for my potion for a bruise balm."

"Yes, and Neville – Mr Longbottom – earned twenty points for showing Professor Snape the fungus that had infested the… what was that leaf called?" Justin asked.

"Shrivelled Fig Leaf," Neville explained. "It looked like doxie fungus at first but that you can neutralize with shredded pine cones. This was a fungus that rats bring in and there's no agent to counteract it."

Susan said, "I think everyone earned points in potions class. But Neville earned the most."

"You earned points in potions class?" asked Ron in a loud yell that drew the attention of most of the Great Hall.

"Yeah, it was a great class," Harry replied. "Professor Snape is great."

Just then Ron's pet rat stuck its nose out of the boy's pocket and sniffed the air, looking for dinner.

*(+++++)*

Next chapter, Dumbledore finally wakes up, Snape and Sprout begin planning to handle the problem with rats in Hogwarts, and Harry takes Hedwig with them to history class.


	18. Chapter 18

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter, Dumbledore wakes up and stumbles about before attempting to change the smooth operations at Hogwarts. Professors Snape and Sprout begin planning to handle the problem with rats in Hogwarts. Professor Moody powers up the wards, and the headmaster realizes he's taken his eye off of what's important – the students at Hogwarts. Hedwig invites herself to history class.

Chapter 18 'Wake up Albus!'

High in his tower, Albus Dumbledore rolled over in bed and woke up slowly. His long hair hung in his face, his beard was matted with dried drool, his eyes are crusty, and his bed stank as if he'd lain there for a week.

'_I must have a cold,'_ his muddled mind decided. _'I didn't drink anything last night…'_

His eyes squeezed shut as memories of the previous night flooded his mind; the nightmare of a sorting with too many secrets revealed, the boy-who-lived sorted into Hufflepuff, more revelations in his office, and finally Peeves burning out the transfiguration while perched on his head.

Albus shuddered with dread – his staff and students knew one of his darkest secrets – his love for the music of the Swedish pop group ABBA. No one could deny the enchantment of their tunes and he shook his head in disappointment every time the group denied there was magical blood in their families. The Swedish magical government finally demanded the ICW censure Albus when he continually appeared at the group's concerts around the world every summer seeking autographs.

*(+++++)*

He stumbled from his bed; it took a few minutes to get his legs working this morning but that wasn't unusual at 137 years of age. Gazing around his room, he noticed that the robes from last night lay across a chair and there were none laid out for today.

"Elf!" he called to the air and a moment later one of the older house elves popped into the room.

"Did youse decide to wakes up, Headmaster Whiskers?"

"Dumbledore…" the wizard tried to correct the elf.

"Yes, that's be you, Headmaster Whiskers," the happy elf agreed, nodding its head.

"You are to call me Headmaster Dumbledore," the headmaster told the elf as he balanced himself on shaky legs.

The elf peered closely at the wizard and nodded vigorously, "Yes, Headmaster Whiskers Dumbledore."

"Don't call me Whiskers!" the old wizard replied sharply.

"No whiskers?" asked the elf innocently.

"That's correct, no whiskers," Dumbledore agreed.

The elf's face looked cheerful as it suddenly snapped its fingers and disappeared while snatching the long beard from Dumbledore's face with magic.

"What! Elf, come back here! Bring back my beard!" Albus shouted with a clean chin for the first time in ten years. In the silence of his bedroom, he heard the laughter of the damn phoenix down in his office.

'_The last time they stole my beard, it took a week to get it back!'_ the headmaster remembered.

"Head elf appear now!" he commanded, with the Elder wand in his hand. There was a pop and the current head elf – Stormy… Story… or something – appeared with Dumbledore's long, luxurious beard in its arms.

"Youse called again for an elf, Headmaster No Whiskers Dumblesdore?"

"Put my beard back!" he demanded.

"Of course, Headmasters No Whiskers Dumbledore," the elf replied and snapped its fingers.

With the beard back on his face with his fingers stroking the strong hairs with growing confidence, the wizard felt more like himself. And while his thoughts were less pleasant, he dared not voice them aloud, _'House elves are more trouble that phoenix familiars._'

"What mores can Shelly do for Headmaster Whiskers?" the head elf asked, making Dumbledore wince again. For today, he would surrender the battle of how the elves addressed him.

"Have a bath drawn," he commanded. "Has breakfast started yet?"

"Youse want a bath in the breakfast?" asked the horrified elf. "No's Headmaster Whiskers! It's bad enough youse make elfs watch you in baths, we's not let you do that to childrens!"

"No, you idiot!" Dumbledore growled. "I just wanted to know if breakfast has started in the Great Hall."

"Shellys go check…" the elf said as it popped away without summoning the bathing tub or hot water to fill it.

"Merlin damn…" Albus cursed as the laughter of his phoenix continued to drift up the stairs.

*(+++++)*

Dumbledore managed to make his way into his ensuite to begin his morning. He had to settle for a shower rather than soaking in the tub this morning. He cast spells to dry and untangle his long hair and beard before wrapping his dressing gown around his lanky form and returned to his bedroom to find his night clothes gone and nothing laid out for the day.

He sighed; in his opinion, the elves were unreasonably angry with him for the deaths from their numbers in the August fire. He shrugged and sought clean small clothes in the dresser drawers. Finally finding some very old clothes and selecting the ones with the fewest holes in them, he dressed and then opened the closet to select today's robes.

He sighed with disappointment; there were only fifteen sets of robes where he'd had a hundred before the fire. Dumbledore finally settled on a pale green with leprechauns dancing around the skirt. With a matching wizard's hat, he finished dressing, and then climbed down the stairs to his office.

He ignored the phoenix and the pile of mail on his desk. The elf had not returned so Dumbledore cast the spell to determine the time of day and frowned when he discovered it was half-past twelve. He'd slept through the entire morning of the first day of school.

Now Dumbledore hurried from his office and through the halls of Hogwarts toward the Great Hall.

'_I really should change the wards so I can apparate inside the castle. I'm too busy to make portkeys every time…'_ his thoughts froze when he arrived at the doors to the Great Hall and found barely half of the students at their tables and all of them in casual clothes rather than school uniforms.

Albus stopped a tall boy and asked, "Humphries, why aren't you in uniform? Are you skiving off class this morning? That'll be five points from Gryffindor…"

"Sorry Headmaster, it's Sunday. Everyone's allowed to dress casual today. And I'm Roger Heathcliff from Hufflepuff…"

"Of course, you are my boy, of course you are…" Dumbledore smiled congenially before he asked, "And you say it is Sunday?"

"Yes, Headmaster. We had a smashing good start to the year and everyone's finishing up lessons this morning. I think there'll be some fly-up Quidditch matches this afternoon with Professor Hooch, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin acting as judges."

"Quidditch matches?"

"Yes, excuse me Headmaster," Roger said before he hurried from the Great Hall. The headmaster reminded Roger of his great-great-granddad who was beginning to lose his mind according to his grandmother.

*(+++++)*

Scene: No Breakfast

Making his way to the staff table at the head of the room, Dumbledore was ignored by the students who were finishing a few assignments, talking with friends while planning their afternoons, or just resting.

At the head table, Remus Lupin smiled and greeted Dumbledore politely while eating a large sandwich. Troutman with two other healers took up one end of the table and they were comparing schedules to continue student examinations tomorrow morning. Troutman gave Dumbledore only the meanest of nods this morning… afternoon.

'_Why are there two more healers here?'_ Albus wondered for a moment before he sat back in his chair remembering, Troutman planned to screen every one of the first years._ 'It is Sunday… he's had three days… I can't obliviate the whole school…'_

Clearing his throat, Albus called, "Breakfast."

Instead of an English breakfast appearing in front of him, there appeared a plate with a sandwich of bread, lettuce, cheese, and cold cuts with a side of chips.

"I said 'breakfast'," he called again before the head elf… Skippy, wasn't it… appeared in front of him with a steaming pot of tea.

"Kitchens don't have enough elfeses since you gots so many dead in fires. We serve sandwiches for lunch to be able to get all works done."

"But I am the headmaster and I want breakfast," Albus said as the elf poured a cup of tea.

The elf smiled and said, "Youse get breakfast tomorrow morning. Eat sandwiches for lunch or waits for dinner."

Grumbling to himself, Albus frowned when he discovered the chips were cold and greasy. The tea was weak and too hot and the bread in his sandwich was almost stale.

*(+++++)*

Before he could rise from the table after forcing down the sandwich and cold chips, the headmaster found Troutman at his side, the healer's wand was busy with spells and enchanted parchments piled up on the table.

"I underestimated the amount of time you'd be asleep, Headmaster Dumbledore. You certainly used too much magic on Wednesday last," the healer said with wand casting a simple monitoring spell on the older wizard.

Aggravated by the healer's manner yet again, Dumbledore complained, "Aren't you supposed to do this in private?"

"We are private," Troutman replied. "No one can hear us. Now, your core is recovering but the transfiguration you cast on the poltergeist and then the spells where you tried to maintain control appeared to have drained your magical core dangerously. You will need at least a month of minimal magic use to restore your core to safe levels."

"Define 'minimal'?" asked Dumbledore carefully; he'd not reached this age without listening to healers when he had to and this appeared to be one of those times.

"No apparition, no transfiguration, no battles. You need to remain here in the castle and…"

"I have responsibilities with the Wizengamot," Albus reminded the healer.

Troutman frowned and said, "Headmaster, summon any healer from St. Mungo's you want, they will examine you and tell you to rest for four more weeks before resuming your duties outside Hogwarts. If you ignore my diagnosis, I refuse to be responsible."

With that Troutman dropped the privacy charm he'd cast without the headmaster noticing, gathered the papers he'd created on Dumbledore's condition, and led the two other healers out of the Great Hall. Two students from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin followed the healers to ask questions about becoming healers.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Class Schedules

On his way back to his office, to try and gather information on the developments of the last four days, Albus encountered Minerva on the staircase.

"Ah, good morning…" he began to say before she interrupted him.

"Headmaster, I am glad to see you stirring. Healer Troutman has reported on your progress each day."

Suddenly wondering about other reports, Dumbledore asked, "Did you forward the news of my illness to the minister?"

The deputy headmistress appeared surprized by the question and shook her head, "Why would I do that? I am not in charge of your correspondence."

Albus frowned but Minerva continued, "As far as I know, Cornelius Fudge has made no inquiries so I have no notion of his knowledge of your incapacitated state for the past four days."

She paused before she turned toward him and asked, "Do you suppose he was smart enough to organize a coup and dethrone you from the Wizengamot while you were sleeping?"

Torn now, Albus needed to return to his office and call his allies in the Wizengamot to ensure nothing had occurred in the last four days, but he also had to set Minerva to work on a major task.

"Well, yes… I am certain Cornelius hasn't precipitated any unnecessary or calamitous misadventures…"

Minerva smirked as Dumbledore attempted to bury her in a convoluted sentence or two.

"Now, Minerva…"

"I have told you previously, you will refer to me as 'Professor McGonagall' or 'Deputy Headmistress McGonagall', Headmaster Dumbledore. We work together but we are not friends."

The older wizard winced, he'd forgotten she still held a grudge for something he did not understand from events in September.

"My apologies, Professor McGonagall," he said with a small bow of his head before she turned and began to walk away.

"There is a task I need you to begin immediately…"

Stopping and turning around once again, Minerva said nothing but waited quietly. Nervously, Albus said, "This morning I was considering all the ramifications of the sorting from last night…"

"From four days ago." Again, she paused as if to give his mind time to process the information.

"On Wednesday night," McGonagall reminded him. "Today is Sunday."

"Yes, from four days ago… In any case, I want the schedules changed to match Hufflepuff with Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw."

"Are you daft!" Minerva exploded. "Classes are underway and you want to…"

Taking a deep breath and clinching her fists, McGonagall said, "No."

Dumbledore attempted to bluster his way through the order by standing tall and stating, "I am headmaster and…"

But McGonagall slashed her hand through the air to cut off the statement of his rank. She spit out, "If you want to rearrange schedules, you do it. But remember, there are classes on six days each week, the other professors will curse you until Christmas, and the school governors will likely investigate your mental competency once they hear this strange request."

Albus paused and then asked, "Perhaps, just the first years then?"

*(+++++)*

He limped back to his office; Minerva kicked Dumbledore in the shins while cursing him with Scottish curses that his wand couldn't dispel. There would be no changes to the class schedule in the fall term and if he wanted to redo the schedule for winter and spring terms, he would have to do them alone.

The gargoyle was sluggish in moving aside and the rotating stairs moved slowly. Once again, the phoenix spent her time laughing at him while the wizard sat behind his desk sorting the piles of mail.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Quidditch Fly Up

Harry hurried along the path with Zach, James, and Ernie. Neville and Justin followed at a slower pace with Susan, Hannah and the other girls. The Sunday afternoon sky was clear thanks to a weather spell by Remus Lupin and the blue sky was beautiful, but it was the figures flying through the air over the Quidditch pitch that drew Harry – boys and girls on broomsticks – young witches and wizards were floating above the earth, and then suddenly dropping through the air, with joyous screams.

"What do you think, Harry?" asked Zach as Tonks and Diggory swept by overhead on their brooms.

"Brilliant! It's brilliant!" Harry chanted as he watched the teams fly around the pitch, throwing the quaffles about, with two or more of the students chasing the snitch that Harry's eyes followed carefully. Some students sat on the grass that afternoon and some climbed into the stands to cheer their friends in the fly-in game.

The grin on Harry's face grew wider each time there was a shout for a score or a dive for the snitch. His head swivelled about, following Diggory and then Tonks. He noticed the Weasley twins in third-year and they flew as a coordinated team.

'_I will get to fly!'_ he thought. _'Like Hedwig, I will fly into the clouds.'_

*(+++++)*

Scene: Professors Talk About Rats and Toads

Late in the afternoon, just before time to gather for dinner, there was a knock on the heavy wooden door to Remus's private chambers and he quickly closed the top of his desk where he was composing a report back to Mi5 on his week at Hogwarts with students.

The wizard didn't even have a charm set to identify the person on the other side of the door; he'd lived in the muggle world so long now he didn't even consider the need for such things. When he opened the door, Lupin was surprised to find Pomona Sprout and Severus Snape waiting for him.

"Professors! Come in," he greeted them and stood back to provide room at the door for the two professors to enter his sitting room. They quickly found places on the sofa opposite his chair near the fire and even though the table remained without a tea tray, Sprout immediately began asking questions.

"Mr Longbottom's story about rats in the greenhouse has been repeated in the potions classroom," she explained to Remus. "He examined some of our stores of ingredients and showed Professor Snape how they were contaminated by rats and not doxies."

Remus nodded, "The report by the toad…"

"Toad?" interrupted Severus.

"Yes, Mr Longbottom's familiar is a toad; some South American variety that grows quite large with a voracious appetite for insects, mice, and doxies it appears," Remus explained and then he waited for the other man to digest the information. After a moment, Severus waved for the werewolf to continue.

"Trevor and Hedwig had a long conversation in the greenhouse the other day and she translated his news of tunnels underneath the greenhouses, battles between doxies and pixies, and incursions by rats from underneath the dungeons."

"There are supposed to be wards… Wait… Who is Hedwig?" asked the potions professor.

"Really, Severus, you have got to keep up with the current events at Hogwarts," Pomona muttered. "Miss Hedwig is Mr Potter's familiar; the two of them can converse as easily as you and I. The owl can talk with the toad and both familiars were concerned about the possible contamination by rats."

Severus sat silent for a moment and Pomona called a house elf who popped in. The head of Hufflepuff made a request and the elf popped out and then a simple tray of tea with some milk but no sugar or biscuits, appeared on the table beside her.

"I do hope the headmaster is able to recruit a few more elves before the first of the year," the herbology professor sighed. "I miss a good tea on some afternoons."

She poured tea for both men and urged Severus to drink from his cup. "And the little ones do try and help us in so many ways."

"Are there any plants we could put in the greenhouses to help the elves?" asked Remus, and while Sprout and Lupin spoke of a few beneficial plants for house elves, Snape finished his cup and cleared his throat.

"After talking with Mr Longbottom about the contamination of the plant matter, I cast a revealing spell and there are signs of rats everywhere in the lower dungeons. The elves block their holes but the pests dig them out every night. We have several cabinets of potion ingredients that will have to be thrown out."

"We can grow replacement plants in two months and complete the harvest before the new year," Pomona said.

"But the problem with the rats will remain," Remus said.

Severus nodded. "There are several good potions to brew that will drive rats away from the dungeons. And I can use much of the material that is contaminated for those potions."

"But that leaves the rat population looking for new areas to explore – like the kitchens and the children's dormitories!" Pomona exclaimed. "Fewer elves mean that there are fewer of them to deal with the rats!"

"What about the wards?" asked Remus. "Isn't one of the wards supposed to keep out pests like rats and mice?"

*(+++++)*

Scene: Professor Dumbledore's Proposal

Albus shoved the papers to one side before drawing his wand and banishing them – there was no way to redo the schedules for the students to balance the seventh-year projects with fifth year OWLs while putting the Hufflepuff and Gryffindors together. He'd spent over an hour looking over the papers and couldn't find a clear path…

He rose from his desk and went to the window, opening the clasp he pulled back the ancient stained glass to allow some fresh air into his office. The rush of cold October air surprised him for a moment but then again, his wand cast a charm to block the wind and only allow the fresh air – still cold but not blowing – to flow into the room. In the distance Dumbledore could see the Quidditch pitch where a fly-up of the game was underway – no bludgers, just quaffles and a snitch for a friendly afternoon game.

'_Flying lessons!' _he realized. _'I can combine all the students into a single flying lesson! That'll let Mr Weasley become Mr Potter's friend.'_

*(+++++)*

At the staff table as the students assembled for dinner, Dumbledore pitched the idea to Professor Hooch.

"I thought it would give the students a good experience across house lines… they'd all learn to fly together."

For a moment, he thought the flying instructor was convinced but she'd merely strung him along to catch him with an argument he couldn't refute.

"Headmaster, I must say I like the idea," Hooch stated to the consternation McGonagall.

The deputy headmistress prepared to argue against the notion when Rolanda asked, "But when do the new brooms arrive to allow this expanded class?"

"New brooms?" asked Dumbledore. "I know we have more than fifty school brooms available for flying classes…"

"If you count all the brooms that won't fly…" Hooch revealed with a hint of heavy sarcasm. "And I have to spend hours charming even a dozen of them to fly properly and safely for each class. If I have all four classes of firsties, half of them will be on the ground for the entire lesson where they can get into mischief and grass stains."

McGonagall groused at a missed opportunity, "I wish I would have thought to have the elves throw all those brooms into the fire back in August. The Governors would have had to buy new ones to replace them."

"There'll be no combined class," Hooch announced. She turned to the headmaster and continued, "At least not until we have two dozen new brooms for instruction."

*(+++++)*

Scene: Dumbledore's Announcements

Thwarted once again by the unreasonable requests of his staff, Dumbledore spent the next ten minutes watching the stragglers wander into the Great Hall for dinner. The Gryffindor table seemed subdued to the headmaster while Slytherin and Ravenclaw were their usual quiet and brooding selves. The Hufflepuff table appeared to be bright and animated this evening – a large crop of firsties including the 'boy-who-lived' were livening up the Badgers.

Albus glanced at the heads of house; Snape looked preoccupied by some problem, Burbage was continually making eye contact with different Lions and nodding or frowning, Flitwick walking along the aisle behind the benches speaking to many of the students in his house, and Sprout spent these minutes watching her house and recognizing who were the new leaders. It was the gaze of Minerva McGonagall that disturbed Dumbledore the most; she almost smiled this evening – something she never did.

"What is on your mind, this evening Professor McGonagall?" Dumbledore asked in a quiet voice, meant for her ears only.

Rather than startling her, the question appeared to have been expected as the deputy headmistress replied, "It has been a most marvellous beginning to the year! Each house is prepared for class in the mornings, pranks and confrontations have been nil, and already the students are focused on their studies. It's as though your absence has been a blessing, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Now she turned to face him directly, "It would be a great shame if your return were to mark the beginning of problems…"

He froze at his deputy's implication but only for a moment. He was Albus Dumbledore and his plans would not be laid aside for a few hours of classroom instruction.

*(+++++)*

Signally for quiet by clinking his spoon against a large mug on the table, Dumbledore rose to address the students at Hogwarts before their evening meal.

"I am glad to see you all in attendance and looking bright-eyed. I am glad to report that the illness that kept be from you these past few days is resolved and I shall give your education my full attention from this moment forward."

"Who is he?" asked a muggleborn rather loudly at the Hufflepuff table. Minerva lifted her napkin to her face to hide the smirk though Snape, Troutman and Sprout didn't bother.

"Bright girl," commented Flitwick to Lupin further down the table. "She's paying attention to what's important."

"That's the headmaster… Albus Dumbledore," explained another 'puff but the firstie only nodded and turned back to her conversation with a friend.

"I have a few announcements," Dumbledore continued. "The Forbidden Forest remains forbidden. The only students who may venture into the forest are seventh years but only when they are working as a team to gather potion ingredients under the supervision of Professor Snape."

"All products from the joke shop remain forbidden," he announced though he winked a few times as he made this announcement.

"All students are to remain away of the corridor at the top of the stairs on the third floor. There is a locked door along that hallway that you must not enter! Otherwise you will suffer a painful death!"

"Now, let's feast! Butternut, hazelnut, and pecans!"

"I'm allergic to nuts," shouted a firstie in Slytherin. "Is that old duffer trying to kill me?"

A house elf appeared beside the student to explain that his meal was always prepared carefully without nuts of any kind. Reassured by the house elf, the Slytherin blushed to have spoke aloud but the other students around him agreed that the headmaster had been thoughtless.

"I told you not to mention nuts in your blithering comments!" Snape hissed from further down the table.

"You mustn't hold it against the headmaster, Snape. His brain still isn't fully functional after sleeping for four days," Troutman reminded the potions master.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Professor Moody's Moves

The main courses were complete when suddenly the headmaster stood up and drew his wand.

"The wards!" he declared. "Someone is fiddling with the wards."

Wiping her mouth, McGonagall stood beside him and said, "I completely forgot. Professor Moody mentioned he wanted to check on the status of the wards for the castle. He had to wait until you were awake to able to get into the chamber and he thought during dinner would be best."

"But… the wards are so sensitive…"

The doors of the Great Hall soon opened to admit the scarred Auror with the peg leg and magical eye. As the DADA professor made his way across the room toward the staff stable, Albus noticed that the Auror was greeted with smiles and waves from all the students.

"Professor Moody made a good impression on the firsties and the other students this week. And the practical on Saturday was well-received by the seventh, sixth, and fifth-year students. They created schedules for all the spells they felt they missed out on in their earlier years and Moody will teach all those spells," Minerva explained. "You will get points from the governors for hiring Auror Moody for this year's class."

Alistair Moody slowed his advance toward the table to speak with his students; his first report to Director Bones had been scathing in criticism of the state of past DADA instruction but full of optimism for the level of student interest in the subject.

With each meal, he'd found that students felt comfortable approaching his scarred face while surrounded by their peers. If he remained approachable in the Great Hall, before the winter break, they would feel comfortable approaching his office in pairs or alone.

Minerva returned to her chair but Albus remained standing, the funny wand at his side. Moody smiled as best he could when he noticed that the healer on the left of the headmaster and Minerva on the right each had their wands drawn but held down.

"Albus, glad to see you up and about finally," Moody stated.

His next statement was planned to give the headmaster a chance to save face. "As 'we' planned, I performed a ministerial inspection of the wards and brought them all up to full power. The fire suppression ward was dangerously low…"

The librarian and herbology professor both frowned before Moody continued, "The castle spent a great deal of power fighting the fire in August and that probably explains that low settings. I have recharged the wards with the castle's ambient magic and Hogwarts is safe once again."

*(+++++)*

Alone in his tower that evening, Dumbledore sat at his desk and ignored his correspondence. The phoenix began a low tune that made the wizard contemplative; he remembered how exciting Hogwarts had seemed to him as boy in the 1860s. How excited he was to learn… how excited he was to teach children when he began working here in 1910.

Perhaps the others were correct and this was a good start to the school year. There was no sign of Tom Riddle thus far and he'd keep his attention on the bits and pieces of news that he pieced together to keep ahead of the problems in Magical Britain. Something called 'computers' was making a splash in the muggle world; he'd investigate to make certain there was nothing about this invention to threaten magical world next summer. He remembered when the muggles tried to learn how to fly a century ago.

That came to nothing…

*(+++++)*

In the next chapter, Hedwig attends History class with the 'puffs and 'claws. Then they all have a flying lesson.


	19. Chapter 19

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter, Hedwig invites herself to history class. Then Harry has his first flying lesson.

Chapter 18 History Lessons and Flying Lessons

It was Monday morning too soon for the students with only Sunday to rest after a busy opening to school. Dumbledore made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast and as he came to the door of the Great Hall, a swarm of firsties arrived to greet him as they hurried to their tables.

He noticed several firsties openly admired the red robes with bouncing purple and blue grapes that he wore this morning. The others were shy about staring and the headmaster slipped around them without separating any from their friends.

"Is that really how wizards dress?" Justin asked Zach and Ernie. "My parents have some friends who dress up funny sometimes but not like that…"

Susan Bones explained, "My aunt says that wizards are very eccentric compared to muggles and the older they get, the more they personalize their robes. Dumbledore is over a hundred years old…"

"He came to the Wizengamot last summer with a dragon flying around and around on his robes," Susan told the others and her hand made faster and faster circles in the air. "I laughed a couple times and when we got home, my aunt said I had pointed at him too much."

Neville nodded, "I remember Gran talking about that flying dragon. She told me that Dumbledore is really old and when he was a boy, there weren't any charms to animate figures on robes. Some wizard in France invented the charm and put it on robes after the Grindelwald war. She said that Dumbledore made it fashionable in Britain."

'_Was Aunt Petunia, right? Are wizards freaks?'_ Harry wondered but he kept the thought to himself.

He did look around and whisper, "But it looks funny and I haven't seen anyone else wear animated fruit and Leprechauns on their robes."

Hannah explained, "It fell out of fashion in the early sixties but Dumbledore's never paid attention to current fashion. See how Professor Snape is dressed in black robes? And Professor Lupin is dressed in more casual wizard robes. That's how most people dress."

Harry studied the two robes of the two wizards standing together at the staff table, and then he thanked Hannah for her insight. "I don't want my robes to be weird."

*(+++++)*

At the staff table, Dumbledore noted that Sprout and Lupin talked with Snape about rats again. Something about brewing potions and planting extra herbs in the greenhouses this week. Moody and Pince discussed a few books he wanted placed in something called the 'reading room' to keep them available for all students. McGonagall and Troutman reviewed health reports and Albus avoided getting drawn into that dragon's nest.

"Breakfast!" he called from his chair and he noticed the children turn their attention to the tables while his staff concluded their discussions. With the traditional English breakfast laid before him, Dumbledore gave it his full attention for almost ten minutes before he noticed something strange at the tables; none of the children had pumpkin juice.

He looked left and right to discover that none of the staff had cups of pumpkin juice, only muggle orange juice, milk, tea or coffee.

"What happened to the pumpkin juice?" he asked quietly.

Troutman replied loudly, "We discovered that the elves were dosing the children with a concoction of potions to force compliance to authority and agitation to their peers."

"What kind of potions are those?" asked Flitwick with as much sincerity as he could fake. "That cannot be healthy."

Dumbledore's expression grew grim for a moment but he noted the attention that his deputy and the other professors were paying to him.

"We feel it is much better if the children are allowed to develop relationships between the houses without the influence of potions," Troutman explained. "And the health officials at the ministry and St. Mungo's agree."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "I always enjoyed the taste of pumpkin juice, myself."

With that statement a pitcher of pumpkin juice with a clean cup appeared. The pitcher rose to pour the cup full and then the cup moved across the table to the side of Dumbledore's plate. He took a deep breath and lifted the cup to his lips to drink.

"I'll ask the elves to hold some back for you then," Minerva said. "I believe Severus plans to use most of it as part of the poison for the colony of rats living underneath the castle."

The juice spewed from the headmaster's lips, spraying the seventh-year students from Ravenclaw except for a shield Flitwick had raised quickly. Minerva banished the wasted juice and with her wand, motioned for the pitcher to fill the headmaster's cup again.

*(+++++)*

Scene: Professor Binns and Hedwig

Harry was in the centre of the group of 'puffs and 'claws heading for the history classroom after breakfast. He had read the first two chapters in the textbook, History of Magical Britain, but the facts were dry and 'B.C.E.' meant nothing to the eleven-year-old wizard. _(Before the Common Era)_

When they reached the hallway with the assigned classroom, Hedwig appeared overhead and led the rest of the way to the door and into the room.

"Tonks said that most kids sleep through this class or work on their other homework," Zach told the other firsties.

"That's wrong," Hermione said. All the 'puffs and 'claws were on a first name basis now. "Prefect Clearwater told us how the Ravenclaw students all worked to make history interesting…"

"But it doesn't work," Padma admitted. "Binns talks about the goblin wars and treaties in every class for every year."

Harry laughed and quipped, "Then wizards should get along better with the goblins than they do!"

Hedwig settled at the first row of desks and chortled to her wizard. He listened, then motioned toward the other 'puffs at the back of the room before he replied, "Are you sure? Everyone else is sitting back here."

There was a short owlish reply and Harry sighed, pulling his backpack off the desk and walking to the front of the room. Without hesitating, Neville and Justin followed him but the other puffs held back.

"Wonder why the owl wants him up there?" Hannah asked aloud and caught Hedwig's attention. The girl blushed as the owl spoke to Harry for a moment before he made a face and turned around, "Hedwig says that 'Miss Abbot' should be a true Hufflepuff and join the other brave ones at the front table."

Glancing at the other girls, Sally-Anne grabbed her bag and announced, "Miss Hedwig has spoken. Come on, we can't let the boys get all the glory."

As Harry drew out the collapsible owl stand from his backpack, the girls from Hufflepuff took seats behind the three boys while Zach convinced the other boys to stay at the back of the room. Once the stand was placed beside the front row of desks, Hedwig settled on the perch and proceeded to preen her wing feathers.

When Professor Cuthbert Binns floated through the wall, he took his place at the podium and began discussing the causes of the goblin rebellion of 1712. Immediately the children lost interest but then Hedwig stopped preening and began 'talking' with the ghostly professor.

Binns paused in his regular lecture for the sixth-year students… the lesson he had prepared just before he died and listened to the bird's question.

"That is an excellent question, Miss Hedwig," the ghost replied. "The beginnings of Magical Britain are wrapped in shrouds of mystery that go far beyond King Arthur and the sorcerer known as Merlin."

Suddenly, the children were paying attention.

"There has been magic in the British Isles as long as they islands have existed. The very first people to settle these lands after the last ice age were hunters and gatherers. They fought wolves, bears, and giant bulls for a place on this green island. Among them were men and women who could use a few spells to start a fire or stop a bleeding wound. These people tamed this island and their villages spread across Britain and Ireland over the next five thousand years…"

With Hedwig's prompting the ghost continued talking about interesting facts from the history of Britain before 'civilisation'. Later in the hour, Binns began talking about the Celts and how they fought and settled among the 'native' peoples.

"Are we the descendants of the Celtic people?" Hermione asked.

This was the first question asked by a student and the ghost appeared to hear her as he began explaining, "In many ways we are their descendants but the people of Britain today are the descendants of many different invading peoples; Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Danes, Vikings, and Normans…"

The bell rang to end the class and the children were disappointed.

Binns ghostly face was filled with a grin as he announced, "Next time, we will discuss how the Romans brought wands to Britain and attempted to change all magic here on the islands."

The history class – _their_ history – appeared alive for the last hour, and the ghost was more aware of his surroundings. He stared at the old maps on the walls and called for elves to bring out the maps of Britain and the timeline of history he depended on to show his students the steps that led to their modern Magical Britain.

"We'll be back Wednesday, Professor Binns," Justin said as Neville helped Harry collapse Hedwig's stand and pack it away.

"Bring Miss Hedwig if you can," Professor Binns instructed them. "She'll help me focus."

The owl spoke up from Harry's shoulder and the ghost nodded, "Of course, I will come see you tonight in the owlery during dinner and we'll plan the course work for all seven years."

"Hey, hurry Harry, we get to fly now!" called Ernie from out in the hall.

"Come on Hedwig, I want you to show me some moves in the air!"

*(+++++)*

Scene: Flying with Hedwig

The Hufflepuff firsties arrived at the Quidditch pitch to find the training brooms in a pile near the goal posts without any sign of the professor, Rolanda Hooch. Harry walked close to the brooms and picked one up. He looked closely at the handle – the stick was shiny with use and even had a few cracks in the finish.

"Is this how the brooms are stored?" he asked his classmates.

"No idea," Zach said. "My Da would wear out my seat if I just threw one of our brooms on the ground and walked away. We have a closet near the back door at home where only brooms are stored."

Susan looked around before she pointed to wicker stand with wheels and a lid. "That looks like a larger copy of the broom rack I've seen in the DMLE at the Ministry. I think brooms are supposed to be stored standing up."

"Let's clean up then," Harry suggested and the boys and girls worked together to stand each of the brooms up inside the rack.

"This one's had it," Ernie said as the bristles fell off the handle he picked up. "They disintegrate when their magic is used up."

"What happens if you're flying when it falls apart?" asked Neville nervously.

"You fall to your death!" Zach snorted and watched as the other 'puff turned pale.

"Professor Hooch won't let us fly with a broom that's almost used up!" Hannah insisted, though she too looked pale.

From the castle, the 'puffs saw their flying instructor approach with the 'claws. Hermione hurried ahead to share her news with the 'puffs, "During the lesson for Slytherin and Gryffindor, Malfoy and Weasley wouldn't follow instructions, yelled at each other, started to race and then collided. Professor Hooch had to levitate them both to the infirmary with broken heads and other bones."

"Attention students," the instructor announced, "I am Professor Rolanda Hooch and in this class, you will learn to fly on an enchanted broomstick. Every student must master flying on a broom before you graduate from Hogwarts."

She paused for a moment before she continued, "And when you don't listen to my instructions, you get hurt. I've never lost a student yet and today will not be that day."

It was then she noticed the brooms had been returned to the rack and her face softened. "I see the brooms have been returned to their container properly. Ten points to Hufflepuff!"

"We have enough brooms for each of you to have a safe flight. First, you will summon your broom from the ground, learn how to mount it properly, and how to push off safely."

"Then you fly the pattern laid out on the field. You'll see it once you are in the air," she pointed at the Quidditch pitch and made a circular motion with her hand.

Hooch's eyes narrowed for a moment. "How many of you have flown before?"

Zach, Ernie, Susan and Padma raised their hands. "Good. You four will go first to show the others but listen to me carefully; there will be no racing or stunts until I have seen you control the broom and keep your seat in the turns."

"Yes, professor!" replied the four students.

Hooch continued saying, "Malfoy and Weasley will be in the infirmary for two days at least and in pain because they would not listen! Their parents will not be happy with the letters I send home tonight either!"

Harry watched impatiently as Hooch gave the four experienced students training brooms and cast warming charms on their robes. The four students summoned the brooms from the ground, mounted, and lifted off.

The boy-who-lived paid close attention and noticed that none of the four said anything aloud to begin their flight, they just bent their knees and pushed up from the ground. Ernie's grin was infectious. Zach was focused and concentrating on following the pattern on the Quidditch pitch. Padma concentrated but did wave to the other students when she flew past. Susan Bones appeared to a bird as she passed by, leaning left and right to take the corners quicker.

As Hooch called the four students back to her side, Hedwig arrived and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Oh great, the owl has arrived," Zach snarked. "So, Potter, what does Hedwig know about flying…"

There was silence on the field as even Hedwig turned to look at Smith as if he was an idiot. Then the 'puff snorted as he said, "Gotcha!"

There were laughs from everyone and Hooch smiled as the owl even appeared to be laughing.

"Mr Potter, is your owl going to take over the class?" asked the flying instructor. But it was Hedwig who replied and Harry translated.

"Hedwig says she might have pointers for me once I am in the air but you are the expert on getting wizards into the air."

He grinned and explained, "The only lesson Hedwig ever received was the day her mother pushed her out of their nest and said, 'Fly'."

Again, there was laughter as Hooch cast warming charms on all the students and then directed them to take brooms. She assigned the four experienced flyers to help the new flyers. Ernie worked with Harry and Michael; Zach with Neville, Justin, and James; Susan with Hannah and Sally-Anne; and Padma with Hermione.

"Alright, summon your broom to your hand," Hooch told each student. Among all the students, Sally-Anne was the only one not to get her broom up on the first call. Her broom rose on the second time and the muggle-born grinned. Neville was smiling and Hermione had a flurry of questions for Padma as they mounted their brooms.

Ernie asked, "Got it Harry?"

"Yeah! I got it," Harry replied as he watched Hedwig circling the pitch in the same pattern Susan Bones had followed.

"Push off!" Hooch's voice was there but the moment his feet left the ground, Harry only heard his own heart beating in his chest. He tasted the wind, the sun was his compass; Harry's senses made him aware of the other students, and the professor's instructions to begin a slow flight around the pitch. He immediately saw the pattern laid out in the grass with turns and straight sections.

"Get the feel of your broom!" she commanded. "Like your wand, wizards and witches link to their broom."

Hedwig appeared beside Harry and she called to him to follow her. She told him to feel his magic in the air and the young wizard grinned as his magic flowed into the broom and across the pitch. Hooch watched as the children fell into a formation like migrating birds, following the boy-who-lived and his snowy owl through the pattern laid out on the field today. They made a few gentle turns as a group and her breath caught imagining how well they might fly together in the future.

Neville Longbottom grinned. _'I'm flying! Like the wizards in Quidditch.'_

Hermione Granger smiled and shifted her grip on the broom handle to keep hold but not too tight. Beside her, Padma squealed with excitement.

"I love it! I love it!" the young witch shouted to her friend.

Leading her group into the formation behind Harry, Susan grinned at her friends around her; they were flying around the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts with growing speed. Zach Smith swallowed as he watched harry ahead of him – his house mate was a natural on a broom.

Then Zach grinned as he contemplated future quidditch matches with the other houses. Hufflepuff would come to dominate the school's only game with Potter on the team and leading the other players.

As their warming charms expired, Hooch called them back to the rack and promised them more lessons later in the week. His cheeks were red with the cold but otherwise Harry was numb to everything but remembering his time on the broom.

As they made their way inside for lunch, Hedwig made Harry take her to each 'claw and 'puff to translate her praise for their flying ability. The students reluctantly left the field for lunch but they laughed and joked the entire way into the castle.

"Yeah, what does an owl know about flying?" asked Neville as Hedwig landed on his shoulder for a moment and butted his head with her own.

Harry grinned and glanced back at the Quidditch pitch. He'd fly again soon and he was composing his letter to Felicity, Ironstream and the dragons about flying with Hedwig.

*(+++++)*


	20. Chapter 20

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Excuse the delay in delivery of new chapter. Work gets in the way of creativity sometimes.

Professor Moody is using Dumbledore's third floor hallway to teach his students about defence and tactics when Harry over powers a spell and something gets loose in the corridor. However, Dumbledore is able to deflect blame for the problem and infuriates the professors.

Chapter 20 Hogwarts Days

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Healer Troutman

Albus Dumbledore frowned when he walked into the infirmary and found Deputy Headmistress McGonagall waiting with Healer Troutman and three members of the board of governors. He'd hoped to catch Troutman alone… he'd obliviate or compel the healer if necessary but he didn't want the test results from the students reported without editing.

He sighed, thinking, _'Many families use compulsions or potions on their children; it is good parenting.'_

"Ah, headmaster, thank you for joining us," Minerva said in greeting. "We were just about finished with the report."

"Finished?" asked Dumbledore. Aghast, he continued, "You began without me?"

"Albus, you are an hour late," pointed out one of the governors.

"Yes… there was an unavoidable delay…" Dumbledore replied as was his usual excuse.

"Yes, and we also have busy schedules," replied the governor.

"We have already sent the report to the Ministry and the Department of Child Welfare will be speaking to the designated families."

"Which families?" Dumbledore asked as he reached for a copy of the report and fanned through the pages searching for a list of names.

Troutman frowned and asked, "So, you haven't read the report? I did send it to you three days ago."

"Again, there are many spells on my wand to deal with at Hogwarts, the ministry and the…"

Now, Lady Marchbanks, the oldest member of the Board of Governors and the head of the testing department at the ministry, addressed the headmaster, "Would you say that you have too many spells on a single wand? I've heard you use that excuse for thirty years Dumbledore, and Hogwarts has suffered because of it."

Dumbledore cringed as the woman exchanged glances with the other two governors present. "I shall make a motion at the governor's meeting tomorrow that you be dismissed as headmaster at Christmas if you don't give up those other two roles. Hogwarts needs a headmaster who is focused solely on the school and the education of the children."

*(+++++)*

As she walked back to her office after the meeting concluded with the governors using the floo to leave with copies of the report, Troutman standing with his wand in his hand and watching Dumbledore leave with another copy of the report in his hand, Minerva indulged in a bit of a daydream that Albus would be called on the carpet by the Board of Governors and they would force him to give up his other positions…

'_No, that would be a nightmare,'_ she quickly realized. _'If Hogwarts is his only sandbox, he'd spend all his time building impossible sandcastles here.'_

'_Better to work on getting him pushed out of Hogwarts,' _Minerva decided._ 'That'll take at least three years without hurting the students and their education.' _

Once she reached her office, she would floo-call Griselda and recommend not making the motion to force Dumbledore to give up his other positions. Getting him out of the castle was better than making this his sole focus.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: The Third Floor Corridor

Alastor Moody led his first-year students from the DADA classroom and up the stairs to the third-floor corridor.

"Professor, isn't this the corridor the headmaster warned us to stay away from?" asked Susan Bones.

"He said we'd suffer a terrible death if we investigated the hallway!" Hannah Abbot said breathlessly.

"Yes," Moody replied. "Now, think about my next question but don't answer aloud."

"How many of you wondered about the third-floor corridor because of the headmaster's declaration? How many of you thought about looking along the hallway for a bit?"

Many of his firsties, like the other classes he'd already brought to the hallway, looked away.

"If the hallway is dangerous, why not put a spell on it to keep students away?" asked the Granger girl.

"Muggle born, correct?" Moody asked and the girl nodded defiantly. He just grinned and continued, "I wish we had more muggleborn in the magical world. They have common sense."

"What's common sense?" asked Zach.

Moody sighed, "Ask Professor Sprout to explain it to you Smith."

Harry's wand popped from his wrist holder and he said, "Professor, something feels strange here…"

"Good, Potter. You feel the compulsion spell to explore the hallway."

"Wait, there's a spell to make students want to explore the hallway?" asked Padma, her wand quickly appearing in her hand.

Moody smiled seeing more wands appear in the hands of his students as they also moved together to form a protective circle. His instruction to this group of students was paying off in their cooperation.

"So, you're faced with a situation where there is unknown magic," he summarized. "Someone lured you here with false information but one of your group feels the 'trap'. What do you do?"

Neville Longbottom frowned but replied, "We back out of the reach of the spell before we do anything else."

"Good," the Auror replied but he continued. "Now what would you do if you had to cross the path of the compulsion spell? What if you **had** to get to the other end of the hallway?"

Moody waited patiently as the 'claws and 'puffs backed up ten steps back to the landing and out of the hallway. Susan Bones led the discussion with input from Granger, Longbottom, Patil, and Finch-Fletchley. But Moody kept his eye on Potter – the Boy-Who-Lived kept his wand at the ready, his eyes on the hallway, and his classmates behind him.

"And what's your decision?" Moody asked.

"Harry can cast a strong finite incantatem," Susan announced. "We'd nominate him to cast the spell on the hallway."

Smiling with satisfaction, Moody nodded. This was the last class of students he'd brought to the hallway. The seventh, sixth, and fifth year students had all felt the compulsion spell and used shield spells to protect themselves. None of them ventured closer than the landing before they'd begun casting their spells. When questioned about having to cross the spell, they'd all refused except for the Gryffindors who sometimes would charge ahead in pairs or groups.

But none of the other classes had offered any ideas on how to protect the other students from the compulsion spell that sat on the hallway. The fourth, third, and second-year students had all wanted to walk up and down the hallway searching for the danger that Dumbledore warned them against.

Moody caught the Weasley twins from third year back here twice already and he knew they'd keep coming until they sprang Dumbledore's trap. The headmaster took down Moody's shield outside the hallway each night; the headmaster wanted the students to find the troll he'd hidden behind a glamoured doorway.

The first-year class of Gryffindors and Slytherins had succumbed to the compulsion and worse, argued amongst themselves rather than working together. The Weasley kid led the boys from Gryffindor in a physical attack on the Slytherin boys that Moody'd ended with stupefy spells and numerous detentions.

This class of first year 'puffs and 'claws was different.

"This spell would allow us to retreat if necessary or advance," said Zach Smith with growing confidence.

"Constant vigilance!" declared Longbottom.

"Well, go ahead Potter, cast the spell," instructed Moody. The boy was casting stable shields after six weeks of instruction. His magical core was strong and his wand was a good extension of his powers.

"Finite Incantatem," Harry demanded with assurance in his spell casting.

The spell was colourless but Moody's magical eye tracked the power nonetheless. It sped across the landing, threw down the compulsion and then continued down the hall.

"Bullocks!" Moody cursed as the doorway hidden by his own glamour spell was ended and the children all saw the wooden door with a barred window. From the door came a roar of a troll awakening from a spelling sleep, and wrapping its long fingers around the bars, ripping them inward and then proceeding to tear down the doorway.

Moody quickly cast three messenger Patronus spells and sent them to professors in the school. Then he began casting a warding spell over the hallway to hold the troll here.

None of the children fled though they did look faint.

"All of you, cast the spell for the shield from last week," Moody ordered.

"How can that hold a troll?" asked Granger even as she began casting the shield spell.

"I will use the power in your spell to strengthen my ward," explained Moody as he continued the spell work to raise the protective ward.

A house elf popped into the hallway with the deputy headmistress who immediately began adding to the ward.

Professor Sinistra and Professor Lupin arrived next climbing up the stairs and they immediately added their power to the growing ward. Pausing for only one moment, Lupin motioned for the children to leave by climbing to the fourth floor.

After a moment's hesitation, the students went up the stairs to the fourth floor; once they were there, Hogwarts moved the staircase. Even if the troll made it through the ward, it would not be able to reach the students. A visible shimmer covered the entrance to the hallway as the professors continued to build up the power of the spell.

Harry remained on the fourth-floor landing and watched every move of the professors' wands as they cast the warding spell. He dropped to his knees and hands, to get a little closer and watch each wand motion, and he noticed Justin, Neville, and Michael were there with him. After a moment, Susan and Hermione returned to watch as well.

"That was a powerful spell, Harry," remarked Hermione. "Did you do anything different?"

"I just really wanted to end the compulsion," he explained. "I didn't know it would set a troll free."

"What is a troll doing inside Hogwarts?" asked Susan.

"Isn't you aunt in the DMLE?" asked Neville.

"What's the DMLE?" asked Justin.

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Harry explained. "Like the police."

"Yes, you need to tell your aunt about this today!" Neville exclaimed as the troll's club bashed against the ward, causing it to shake.

"They're not going to be able to hold it!" Susan said. "We need to cast our shields again."

"Right," agreed Harry, pulling his wand out again and casting his shield spell.

"You have to really want the ward to hold," he reminded the other firsties as their wands all began casting the shield spell.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dumbledore Dodges

In his office that still smelled of smoke, Albus Dumbledore felt the tingle of 'his' wards on the sleeping troll vanish.

"_Who is exploring the hallway in the middle of the day?"_ he wondered for a long moment. He paused to let the wards feed him additional information before he panicked.

"_Loose? How did it get loose? The wards on the door should have held!"_

Sighing, Dumbledore held up his arm and called, "Fawkes!"

The headmaster and his phoenix vanished in a ball of fire to reappear on the landing of the third floor, where the ward had grown even stronger now and the troll was pushed back with the strength of the barrier.

*(+++++)*

"Albus! Get this troll out of the castle now!" McGonagall demanded.

"How did it get out?" he asked.

"Who cares how it got out!" shouted Lupin.

"Alastor, are you playing around with the wards again?" the headmaster demanded to know.

*(+++++)*

After the troll was once again asleep, Dumbledore attempted to deflect the three members of the staff from making demands.

"No one is harmed," he began with his twinkling eyes at full power.

"By the grace of God, Merlin and Hecate!" proclaimed Lupin invoking all the deities he knew.

"Who released the troll?" asked Dumbledore. No one answered but he heard movement above him and saw the Potter boy with his strange wand moving away from the edge of the landing.

"Will you remove the troll?" asked Professor Sinistra. "We can't have a safe school with that creature here!"

"It has been safely contained…"

Minerva, with her hair falling from its usual neat bun at the back of her head, narrowed her eyes briefly before she demanded, "Fawkes, protect the children!"

The phoenix once again turned into a fireball, flashed through the ward, and disappeared with the troll. Dumbledore frowned but his mind was already racing ahead.

"Well Minerva, you've just destroyed a particularly complex illusion," Albus said, shaking his head.

"Illusion?" asked Lupin, his face pale still.

"That wasn't an illusion!" Minerva swore.

Sinistra frowned and shook her head, "Son of Mordred! How can we prove it was real if Fawkes flashed it away?"

Moody shook his head, "Well played, Dumbledore. I have learned my lesson here today."

The old Auror went to the stairs that had returned to their normal configuration and climbed to the fourth floor where he found his class waiting with their wands still drawn. He nodded and pointed along a further corridor he wanted them to walk, beginning a round about journey back to the DADA classroom.

Smiling and spinning about, Dumbledore began his own walk back to his office, leaving Minerva, Remus and Professor Sinistra to catch their breath.

"I can't believe that was an illusion…" Lupin said.

"But you can't swear on your magic that it was real either," Minerva said.

Sinistra suddenly shuddered and the other two professors noticed the astronomy professor's reaction to a realization.

"What?" asked Minerva.

"Moody's statement… he said he'd learned his lesson…"

"What lesson is that?" asked Minerva with a tone of concern in her voice.

"Next time, so long as the students are safe, Moody will let the troll loose to wreak havoc on the castle and staff to prove it is real."

Lupin assured the two witches, "There won't be any more trolls…"

Minerva sighed and explained, "Perhaps not a troll. But another three-headed dog, or a giant perhaps. The headmaster can't help himself with the creatures."

*(+++++)*

The Great Hall was abuzz with all the stories about trolls on the third-floor corridor, blazing phoenix fire balls, flashing wards, and angry professors. The rumours were the most outrageous at the Gryffindor table.

"There were ten trolls running around the third floor all afternoon, chasing the firsties from DADA class. Moody just stood there and laughed at 'em!"

"I heard Professor McGonagall brought the troll into the castle to chase the ghosts out but it broke free of her spells."

"Headmaster Dumbledore told my brothers that there's a valuable treasure hidden on the third floor and some dark wizard here in the castle is going to steal it!"

"Say… where are your brothers anyway?"

"Who cares as long as they aren't playing pranks on us?"

"What kind of treasure do you think it is?"

"Who are the dark wizards at Hogwarts?"

"All the people in Slytherin are dark! They're all snakes."

"Dumbledore hinted that Professor Lupin is a dark creature," whispered one girl.

"And that he disappears at the full moon for three days!"

"What creature does that? A vampire?"

"No! You're stupid as a muggle! He's a werewolf!"

"Who're you calling a muggle? I heard that your brother is a squib!" replied the other boy, grabbing the first around the neck.

The wrestling match between a second-year wizard and third-year wizard at the Gryffindor table soon reached the floor and didn't stop until Deputy Headmistress McGonagall sent stinging hexes against both boys.

"I bet Snape is dark," Ron Weasley told Seamus.

"Duh, does the sun rise in the east?"

"What does that mean?" asked the confused red head.

*(+++++)*

No one noticed that Harry Potter and Susan Bones entered the hall after the meal had already started.

"Where you able to get Hedwig out of the wards?" asked Neville when the two 'puffs reached the Hufflepuff table.

"Yes, she told me that the wards had been changed to make all owls fly to the headmasters tower where an elf would take the letter for the headmaster to read and edit before the owl could deliver the letter."

Susan explained their strategy saying, "We just walked down to the gates where the wards end and opened the gate. We let Harry's owl fly away while we stood beside the open gate."

Hermione frowned but nodded, "You stayed on the grounds. Good. We didn't violate any rules but still got the letter to Susan's aunt away."

"Hedwig said it would take longer tonight because she's never flown to Susan's aunt before, but she'll deliver the letter."

*(+++++)*


	21. Chapter 21

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Albus Dumbledore and Amelia Bones make deals, students are injured and sent to Saint Mungo's, and the older muggleborn students begin to realize that they are not welcome in Magical Britain after graduation. This realization will result in long-term consequences to Magical Britain.

Chapter 21: Visitors, Understanding and Planning SCENE: Amelia Bones Visits Hogwarts

The next morning, Susan told her friends they should expect a letter from her aunt but among the dozens of owls, there wasn't one from Director Bones. This left the young witch with a frown on her face as she tried to figure out why her aunt hadn't replied.

The answer came when during the middle of breakfast, , Dumbledore suddenly stood and drew his wand while at the staff table. Students close the table heard him mutter something about someone crossing the wards into the castle. Then both doors to the Great Hall opened as Director Amelia Bones and a dozen Aurors poured into the Great Hall. Conversations stopped as every head turned toward the woman leading the Aurors.

"Dumbledore, what's this about a troll in Hogwarts?" she demanded to know. Her question was loud and heard by every student in the Great Hall, much to Dumbledore's chagrin.

"Amelia, everything is fine. It was merely an illusion of a troll," the headmaster replied, smiling with his eyes twinkling as though laughing at a good joke. "The children were scared by a mere shadow…"

The director of the DMLE stared at the headmaster and then her eyes swept across the staff table and found the witches and wizards there frustrated by the headmaster's claim. She glanced at her niece who frowned with a slight shake of her head, denying the headmaster's statement.

During her seven years as the Director of the DMLE, Amelia had developed the ability to think quickly on her feet and this was an opportunity from Hecate if she ever saw one. She smiled brightly as she turned back to Dumbledore and said, "An illusion? Marvellous, headmaster. Then you will have no hesitation or excuses against immediately showing me this hallway on the third-floor."

She motioned to the veteran Aurors behind her, "My instructors can bring their trainees here this morning to investigate the hallway and show them how to cast spells to detect dark creatures and how the results will all be negative."

"I'll take them there now," Alastor Moody announced. "No reason to inconvenience the headmaster with a climb to the third-floor."

As the peg-leg DADA instructor led about ten of the Aurors out of the hall, Amelia smiled at the headmaster once again and continued, "While the Aurors setup the test and then show their trainees what negative results look like, you and I can discuss this new class on illusion magic you will add for fifth-, sixth- and seventh-year students beginning in January. Anyone with 'O's in transfiguration should be eligible."

Dumbledore frowned, mustering his arguments against both demands when Amelia added, "The return of this class to the curriculum may be enough to end the controversy about all your positions for another year. The governors vote tomorrow you know…"

She paused and then smiled even brighter as she added, "We'll add back the class for Magical Customs as well for all muggleborn students – this will prove that you do care about all your students Dumbledore."

*(+++++)*

The Aurors found ample proof that there'd been a troll in the secured room for almost a month. As they investigated the room, they found a trap door that led into a maze. There they found two injured third-year Gryffindor boys – Fred and George Weasley.

While everyone was still in the Great hall, two white shapes arrived in the Great Hall; the eagle went to Healer Troutman and the dog went to Professor Burbage. Both staff members rose from their chairs and ran from the hall. Having heard the message for the healers, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall hurried to a floo to summon additional healers from Saint Mungo's.

Overhearing the messages as well, Madam Pence frowned as Professor Sinistra fought back her tears. Remus Lupin pushed away his breakfast and finished his tea as he looked across the room at the students.

'_This is a school, not Dumbledore's bloody playground,' _he stated in his mind. '_Fred and George are marauders for certain but there shouldn't be anything here that can hurt them.'_

Returning from the floo in the room off the Great Hall, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall ignored Dumbledore and Bones as she directed students to begin their day. She encouraged Sinistra to carry on and she nodded at the query on Lupin's face.

"We can talk later," she told the wizard. "For now, we must make certain the children are calm."

*(+++++)*

One of Amelia's guards hurried into the Great Hall to give his boss a more detailed report. When informed by the Auror that two children had been found near death in Dumbledore's maze underneath the troll's chamber, the headmaster denied the news.

"That's not likely. What children?" he asked.

The Auror explained, "Troutman identified them as Fred and George Weasley, third year Gryffindor students."

Shaking his head in his matter-of-fact way, Dumbledore said, "I am certain our infirmary will have the boys patched up and back to class tomorrow."

The Auror looked at his boss and shook his head, "One boy will have to have his left leg regrown and the other lost most of the blood in his body. They both have been moved to Saint Mungo's for emergency treatment."

"No! Hogwarts handles all medical problems within our walls. We have a potion master who can brew any potion needed!" argued the headmaster.

Amelia interrupted, "Dumbledore, you just lost my vote at the Governor's meeting tomorrow. The healer is in charge of the injured and his rulings cannot be over-turned by you or anyone on your staff."

As the last students left the Great Hall, Minerva McGonagall joined the headmaster and his unwelcome guest to inquire about news but Dumbledore turned on his deputy.

"This is all your fault!" he declared in a loud voice.

Looking surprized for only a moment, Minerva asked, "What is my fault?"

"If you'd stayed as head of house for Gryffindor, the Weasley twins would have been in the dorm last night instead of investigating the third-floor corridor!"

"Bullocks! It's your shenanigans with some treasure you've told the children is hidden on the third floor! I didn't bring a troll into the castle! I didn't set traps of whatever kind hurt those boys!"

The deputy headmistress cocked an eyebrow as she said, "And if you think I am going to be the target of Molly Weasley's ire over this, you're missing too many ingredients to make a complete potion! She'll tear you to shreds!"

Amelia nodded. "Molly Weasley will turn the full blast of her magic upon you, Dumbledore. Even the strongest wards here at Hogwarts won't protect you from her Howlers. And if she shows up in person, you'll be missing teeth, your beard will…"

"I must get to my office!" Dumbledore insisted as he fled the Great Hall.

*(+++++)*

"How are we going to get him out of the castle permanently?" asked Amelia Bones of the Deputy Headmistress. "A Cerberus in summer and a troll in fall?"

"Muggles would have retired Dumbledore years ago," Minerva explained. "But we lack common sense in our world. The headmaster knows too many dirty deeds by too many members of Wizengamot to be thrown out. I believe it will take three years to get him to retire."

"Marchbanks wants him gone but she's the only one on the board that's not afraid of him."

"Even you?"

"He can get me fired in one afternoon," Bones explained. "I can't cross him."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Saint Mungo's Prejudice

When Molly Weasley stumbled from the floo into Saint Mungo's entry hall, she was crying and incoherent. Seeing the distressed witch, the on-duty medi-witch immediately approached her.

"Madam, are you injured?" she asked in calm voice.

"What? No," she stated. "It's my… My twins are here… from Hogwarts… I want to see them.

"Yes, ma'am," the witch agreed with a calm expression on her face. "Come with me and I will take you to your husband. He arrived just a moment ago."

"Arthur's here already? Take me to him! Hurry!" demanded Molly, taking the witch by the arm and leading her down the wrong hallway.

"This way, please, Mrs Weasley," the witch said, dragging Molly down a different hallway. The office supervisor watched silently and ordered calming potions for both parents.

When the door opened, Arthur Weasley rose from the chair where he'd been talking with a healer about George's blood loss and Fred's damaged leg. Molly swept into the room, bursting into uncontrollable tears as she sought the comfort of her husband's arms.

"Molly, dearest, we must be calm," Arthur said.

"A floo call… Dumbledore said… he said George and Fred were playing in a forbidden part of the castle. The Aurors came and took them away…"

"Mrs Weasley," the healer attempted to interrupt the woman who was working herself into hysteria.

But Molly babbled on, "He didn't know what happened or why they took them away from Hogwarts but he said… that he'd cover all the costs here at the hospital."

The healer brightened at the woman's words and asked, "Mrs Weasley, you've had a serious shock. Please sit…"

Another medi-witch came in with two potion bottles that the healer took and gave to Arthur and to Molly. "Now drink these calming potions and I can update you on Fred and George and their treatments for the next few days."

Arthur palmed his potion but opened and helped his wife drink the entire contents of the potion bottle in her hand. The healer noticed that the husband kept his potion in reserve but said nothing.

Once Molly stopped crying, the healer explained that the boys were both in surgery. Fred's left leg was being removed and then spells and potions applied to grow a new leg.

"He'll be walking again by Yule and able to run again by spring," the healer said. "And his brother will be with us for at least a week as we make certain there were no parts of his body that are damaged by blood loss. His brain appears to be functioning normally already and we'll be testing his heart and lungs next."

"Thank Merlin!" Arthur swore. Molly was consumed by tears again.

"It's just like losing Gideon and Fabian all over again," she cried into her husband's shoulder.

The healer asked, "Mrs Weasley, you said that the headmaster said he would cover the costs of treatment for your sons."

She nodded slowly and the healer smiled.

"May I take a copy of the memory of that conversation? It will be a good as a magical contract and Saint Mungo's can simply send the bills to Headmaster Dumbledore without ever bothering you."

"Arthur, what do you think?" Molly asked her husband for once.

"As Albus likes to say, Molly, 'it is for greater good'. We'll let him pay for the treatments and get our boys back."

The witch nodded as she broke a long-term compulsion on her to keep Dumbledore's interest ahead of her own. Her husband had broken the headmaster's compulsion when a healer called him at the ministry and told him two of his children were injured and in surgery.

"Let him take a copy of the memory and then all we have to worry about is getting Fred and George well."

*(+++++)*

Outside the surgery wing, the healers met with the hospital administrator.

"The procedures for each boy are expensive and the family is poor. This will really hurt our budget for the year," the administrator announced.

"And what is the alternative?" demanded one healer insulted that budgets came before healing a patient. "Do we want people to think we're leaving a pureblood thirteen-year-old with a peg leg because we don't want to serve the community?"

"No," another healer argued.

The wizard who'd talked with the parents walked up with a portable pensive in his hand.

"Spare no expense!" he announced. "Best potions and best treatments for both boys!"

"How can we pay for that?" demanded the administrator.

"The boys have a wealthy patron who agreed to assume all expenses," the healer said, offering the pensive to the wizard.

The man took the pensive, stuck his finger into the device and withdrew it a few minutes later, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"I love it when there's some justice in the world," the administrator said. "Albus Dumbledore states clearly that he will cover the costs of treatment for the Weasley boys. I'll register this memory with accounts receivable now."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dumbledore's Plans

Alone in his office, Albus sighed. He'd dodged a couple strong spells in the last two days with the escape of the troll and the injuries to the Weasley boys. Fawkes had returned but only to sit sullenly on her perch and judge every movement that Albus made. The headmaster ignored his phoenix.

The floo call to Molly Weasley was some of his best deflection work – he'd appeared sorrowful and worried through the flames and her immediate collapse into tears allowed him to direct all her future anger at the twins.

'_With a peg leg, we'll be able to tell one from the other from now on and he won't get around very quickly,' _Albus mused._ 'I can ask Alastor to help the boy learn how to use the leg when he returns in a week or so.'_

He paused and considered how to continue with the rumours about the hidden treasure. The school was ripe with the story and with speculation about which dark wizard was after the stone – Snape or Lupin.

'_I might arrange a friendly duel between the two old rivals,' _Albus decided._ 'That would show their darkness to the students.'_

Now his thoughts turned to the Potter boy – spells showed that he was a real wizarding child. Troutman refused to share the boy's medical records and even a late-night trip to the infirmary failed to gain the information – not every ward in the castle bowed to the headmaster and Fawkes refused…

He glanced at the phoenix and the bird turned her back on the headmaster for a moment to lift her tail and make a deposit on the papers under her perch…

Glancing at the papers, Dumbledore began to rise from his throne_. 'Wait! Are those my vault statements? How did…'_

Fawkes turned back around and ruffled her feathers, threatening to flame out of the room, a move that would burn the papers into ashes in seconds.

'_I don't know why anyone thinks a phoenix is good familiar.'_

Sitting back in the throne's comfortable pillow, Dumbledore returned to thinking about Harry Potter – he was certain he was a fake boy-who-lived.

'_His mind is blocked to me. I wonder if the owl is the source of his mind protection'_

The headmaster rose from his desk to pull a book from his private library but then frowned remembering that his 'private' library burned to ashes in the fire in August. He moved to a stained-glass window and opened the sash; a ward prevented the cold air from entering the office but he could stare out at the sky.

'_What I remember, magic will protect the owl – violently – if I attacks.' _

_The owl usually carries mail south almost every day,' _Dumbledore reasoned._ 'I shall have to approach him during the day. And I must look at that wand. Why did Ollivander give him the wrong wand? The brother wand to Tom's is the one the boy must have!'_

He chuckled,_ 'And I worry about nothing. He can't be the true son of James and Lily Potter… can he?'_

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Muggleborn Truths and Plans

Filius Flitwick looked up when a knock came on his office door, and declared, "Come."

The door opened and one of his favourite muggleborn students, Jesse Coleman entered his head of house's office, a letter in his hand.

"Professor, I must speak with you."

"Certainly, Mr. Coleman. Come and sit with me." The head-of-house for the 'claws proceeded to cast multiple spells in his office that froze each magical portrait and deafened the headmaster's ease-dropping spells. For ten minutes, no one could hear the conversation in his office.

The seventh-year Ravenclaw excelled at arithmancy, charms and transfiguration. Flitwick knew potions challenged the boy but then almost every student except for the purebloods was disadvantaged by Severus Snape in years past.

"I received a letter from Henry Small this morning. I know you remember him."

Flitwick smiled, "How is Mr Small? He was at the top of the graduating class last spring. Has he found an apprenticeship yet?"

"No sir," Coleman said. "He wrote that every healer at Saint Mungo's turned him away. None of the purebloods want to teach a muggleborn to be a healer."

Flitwick sighed, "I knew the healers had become hesitant to take muggleborn apprentices…"

"It's not just healers sir!" Coleman insisted. "Henry can't get any potion shop to give him a job, and he was the best and brightest potion student in the last ten years. You know that Snape refused to give him a recommendation!"

"What do you want me to do, Mr Coleman?" Flitwick asked sharply.

"Tell muggleborns the truth when they have career counselling with you. I've wasted two years thinking I can get a job as a charm-maker with one of the broom manufacturers. But I am muggleborn and now I know that all of my friends from last year in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor are going back to the muggle world without any job prospects there!"

The seventh year looked devastated and the charms professor felt his soul diminish just a bit for the role he played in deceiving the child.

"Mr Coleman, listen to me very carefully," Flitwick said. "You are in possession of dangerous information."

"Dangerous? How?" asked the teenager.

"The purebloods and the wizards in power will not thank you to spread this story. The ministry likes everyone to think that Magical Britain is a welcoming place of opportunity."

The boy snorted.

Flitwick asked, "If you were to stand up in the Great Hall and tell this news, imagine what would happen."

Responding to his head-of-house, Coleman explained, "The Slytherins would laugh, the purebloods in my own house would sneer, the Hufflepuffs would not believe it, and the Gryffindors would ignore me."

"And the headmaster would probably corner you at some point and obliviate the knowledge from your mind."

The Ravenclaw looked shocked for a full five seconds before he buried his true emotions behind a mask as he'd been taught by his pureblood classmates.

"So, I should pretend that nothing is wrong and I have a great future ahead of me," stated the young wizard.

"Until the moment you return to London after graduation and step through the portal into muggle London again, everyone here must believe you are a studious Ravenclaw. They must all believe that success with yours NEWTS at the end of this school year is your sole concern."

The charms professor saw that his student was considering his options. "The Slytherin side of your intelligence will help you cope with this development and you can spend your time between now and then preparing for your future."

"But why hasn't anyone said anything before now?" Coleman asked. "I can study my muggle subjects again but it'll take at least two years to pass all their tests to get into university to study engineering."

"We're not allowed to warn… discuss the future employment opportunities with the muggleborn." Flitwick paused, "And if you talk with the other muggleborn 'claws and 'puffs; just do it quietly. Professor Burbage and Professor Lupin have begun an 'English' club for several of the other muggleborns and I will arrange for you to attend the meetings."

"I heard they are reading 'Oliver Twist'," the student acknowledged. "And they have to justify their understanding… they have to argue with the professor."

*(+++++)*

In the Hufflepuff dorms, Harry sat on his bed, his knees pulled up to his chest as he did some thinking about the day's events.

"What's flying around in your head, Harry?" asked Neville. "I can hear the wings beating the air in your skull from across the room."

Justin grinned but then turned sober at the look on Harry's face as the boy nodded his head.

"I think Hogwarts is dangerous," the dark-haired boy explained. "That troll almost got loose and that club would have made short work of the professors and then any student it stumbled across."

Neville moved to stand at the foot of Harry's bed and grabbed onto the corner post to lean against.

"If I told my parents about the troll, they'd probably pull me from the school," Justin agreed.

"They can't," the Longbottom boy stated.

"What do you mean, Neville?" asked Justin.

"Once you begin Hogwarts, there's a magical contract in place that makes you stay here until you pass your OWLs at the end of your fifth year. Even then, you still can't use your wand until you turn seventeen but you can get tutors if you can afford them."

"So, we're stuck here even if the headmaster brings in trolls?" Justin asked.

"My grandmother says that Dumbledore is impervious to scandal and punishment. He's been in the government for so long he has dirt on everyone."

Shaking his head, Justin said, "How can the headmaster get away with a troll in the castle? Back in the muggle world, if a headmaster brought something like a dangerous dog into a school, he'd be sacked the same day!"

*(+++++)*

The boys went to the common room where they found Susan, Hannah and Zach working on assignments for transfiguration.

"Susan, why didn't your aunt arrest Dumbledore today?" Justin asked.

"Arrest Dumbledore?" Zach asked, his eyebrows climbing up. "Who would dare?"

Hannah nodded and looked at Susan who kept her eyes on her parchment, seeming to ignore the conversation until she said, "The DMLE is a department in the ministry. Dumbledore has great power in the ministry and my aunt can't fight the headmaster."

"So, he doesn't have to follow the law?" asked Justin.

It was Dora Tonks who stopped their conversation from going further.

"Finch-Fletchley, you're a firstie and there are many things you need to learn about magical society," she said cheerfully but she squeezed his arm to make him be quiet.

"Yeah," agreed Zach. "Dumbledore is a great wizard and we're lucky to be here in his school."

Dora placed one finger against her lips signalling for the muggleborn students to remain silent as the purebloods returned to their assignments.

When they started down the hall to their dormitory again, Dora followed the three boys and asked if she could speak with them in their room. Once she closed the door, Dora pulled out one of the desk chairs and looked the three of them over.

"It's hard adjusting to the world run by the purebloods. My father says that purebloods don't want to think for themselves because they've been taught not to. My mother – who is a pureblood – agrees. She has embraced the muggle world and both of my parents want me to go to muggle university next year, not go into the Auror program at the ministry."

"Why did you come to Hogwarts?" asked Justin. "Professor McGonagall made it sound like I would be welcomed with open arms and have great opportunities here."

"The laws states that all magical children must attend Hogwarts until they pass their OWLs at the end of fifth year." Then Tonks shrugged and added, "I think all the professors are in on the scam or their magical contracts force them to tell muggleborns all the same story."

"Harry and I are both 'half-bloods' and that means we have some opportunities. Of course, he's the 'boy-who-lived' and also heir to the Potter fortune so some pureblood princess will chase him down and marry him after graduation."

"Huh?" asked Harry and Tonks giggled to see the look on the eleven-year-old boy's face.

"Neville, you're not saying anything," Harry remarked. "Is this true you think?"

The pureblood wizard nodded his head and sat on his bed.

"My grandmother never said anything about muggleborn students from her years here. All the people she knows are purebloods. I never met a muggleborn or even a half-blood until you guys brought me into your cabin on the Hogwarts Express."

"Really?" asked Harry, the questions in his mind. "Never at Diagon Alley while you were growing up?"

"We always went when it wasn't likely to be any muggleborns in the alley."

"Tonks, how did my…" Harry began to ask but then fell silent again.

"How often does a muggleborn marry a pureblood?" asked Justin, guessing his friend's question. "Harry's parents…"

"Like my own parents, they met here at Hogwarts. My muggleborn father met my pureblood princess mother and they fell in love. If the professors had realized they were growing close, Dumbledore probably would have expelled my father."

Tonks grinned, "My mother and father eloped the week after graduation. My mother's family disowned her and threatened to sue the school. But Mom is very happy with Dad and doesn't want to come back."

Harry, Justin and Neville were quiet as Tonks concluded her visit by saying, "Now, keep your conversation here in the dorm room. Talk with the other muggleborns but do it quietly."

Once the seventh-year witch was gone, Neville asked, "Will you guys still be friends with me?"

"Of course," Justin replied instantly. "You're our friend! We don't care about blood crap like Smith."

Harry sighed and walked over to Neville. "We're friends and I never had any before I came to Hogwarts. I love magic and won't abandon it but I'm not going to put up with dangerous creatures. What if someone had been killed by that troll?"

"So, what do muggles do after school?" asked Neville. "My grandmother planned to send me to them as a squib. It sounded scary but I don't think it is worse than in Magical Britain."

*(+++++)*

"Harry, can we talk?" asked Hermione with her friend Padma at her side. The 'puffs and 'claws were seated around several tables in the library as they worked on homework. Harry looked up from an essay for history class; he immediately noticed Susan Bones lower her head back to her book while Hannah and Zach ignored the muggleborns.

"Sure, Hermione. Here or in the hallway?"

"Let's find a quiet classroom," interjected Padma.

Harry made to leave his parchment and books where they were but Hermione helped him pack everything.

Glancing toward a curious Neville and Justin, Harry explained, "Going out to talk about…"

"…Miss Hedwig," Padma said to complete the boy's statement to his friends.

"See you back in the dorm," Justin said.

"We'll look for you!" insisted Neville.

"Quiet!" commanded the terse librarian. Madam Pince had noticed how quiet the muggleborn had been for the last two days and kept her thoughts to herself. She'd apply for more muggle studies books again though the headmaster would veto the request.

The trio walked down the hallway from the library and Padma insisted they choose a dusty classroom without any portraits or other paintings. They left the door open though Hermione cast a spell that would cause a bell to sound if anyone invisible walked through the door, and they stepped to the far side of the room where Hermione pulled out her copy of Hogwarts, A History.

"Do you need a history lesson?" asked Harry. "You're better off asking Hedwig for history."

"No, this is our cover in case anyone walks into the room," Hermione explained before she and Padma exchange glances, and then began to explain their worries.

"Harry, we're worried that the school isn't safe. Events like the troll happen almost every year," Padma explained.

"We asked students in every year and they all remember things that left someone injured or even dead," Hermione confirmed.

"And no one does anything about it!" Padma insisted though Harry could tell the girl was insulted by such stupidity.

"Padma, you're a pureblood…" Harry said as an opening to see where the girl stood on these matters.

The girl shook her head, "But I still have common sense. I was born in India where magicals work in the muggle world many days each year. My mother loves muggle cookery over magical pots, and my father works with the muggle government in India and the United Kingdom on security matters. He's appalled by Magical Britain and wanted Parvati and I sent back to India for school. We asked for a year at Hogwarts to test the waters."

"And now the magical contract that traps you here?" asked Harry.

"Who told you about the contract?" asked Hermione. She'd been ill when she first learned that she was trapped here for the next seven years but she feared to tell the others thinking someone might panic.

"Neville. He was worried we'd try to leave without him. I told him I love magic and not going to give it up," explained Harry. "I just don't know what to think Hedwig will say. She'll make me tell Felicity about the troll in my next letter home."

"Apparently we're stuck here for seven years," the Indian girl admitted.

"No, just five," Harry explained. "A seventh year told us that once we pass our OWLs at the end of fifth year, we don't have to come back to Hogwarts. We can hire tutors to pass our NEWTs but can't use our wands until we're seventeen."

"That is a little better," Hermione said, actually relieved with a better option after the fifth year.

Padma nodded, "And until then, we'll make up for the missing subjects with self-study and summer classes. But my father and mother will send my little brother and sister to school in India for certain."

"Someone said that Professor Lupin helped organize an English club for some of the upper year muggleborns. Maybe he can help us with maths and English for firsties," Harry said, hopeful of changing the subject.

"We'll ask tomorrow after our class in the greenhouse."

"I can't believe that no one arrested the headmaster for bringing a troll into the school!" Hermione said. "And I can't tell my Mom and Dad about this!"

*(+++++)*


	22. Chapter 22

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter, Susan Bones reveals an emergency plan to Harry. Remus gets permission to begin the Maths club while Filius furthers the plans of muggleborns. Dumbledore messes with the students in Transfiguration and winds up a mouse locked in a class box in Minerva's classroom.

Chapter 22: Kids Talk and Adults Make Plans

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Bones and Potter Talk

As the acknowledged leaders of the firsties in Hufflepuff, sometimes Harry Potter and Susan Bones talked without the other 'puffs. Today as they walked from the castle to the flying field, Susan slowed her steps to allow everyone else to leave her alone on the path with the boy-who-lived. Hedwig flew ahead, leaving Harry and Susan to talk privately.

"Harry, what do you think about Magical Britain?"

The boy smiled and replied, "I love magic."

"I do too," Susan agreed. "But I want to know what you think about the rest – the ministry and Hogwarts…"

Glancing around, Harry lowered his voice but admitted, "I'm pretty nervous about everything. I don't know anything about the ministry but it's probably like the muggle government in lots of ways. But that troll was real and Dumbledore got away with having it in the school. In the muggle world, people would have fired him!"

Susan nodded in agreement. "He's not Merlin, but many wizards think he is. That lets him get away with doing stuff other people'd be fired for immediately."

"Do you think he should've been fired?" asked Harry.

"It doesn't matter what I think; my aunt told me to keep my opinion to myself this year."

"Why?" asked Harry as he stopped walking.

"My aunt says that the people in charge of Magical Britain work very hard to stay in charge. If you make a lot of noise or yell for change, you get watched or done in. They won't let anyone else take away their power."

"What's 'done in'?" Harry asked nervously.

Susan grimaced, "An accident in the street or your broom falls apart while you're flying."

"Wow!" the boy reacted. But he seemed to be thinking now and asked, "Then, how did your aunt get to be a director?"

They began walking again as Susan explained, "She follows the law to the letter and holds all the Aurors and everyone else to the that standard. Even the politicians know that makes her 'safe' because they know exactly what's she's going to do in every situation."

"Okay. Are you saying we should do that too?"

Susan shrugged and sighed. "It is one way to make it to seventeen."

Harry grinned and asked, "Are you taking Muggle Studies to be able to hide in the muggle world?"

"No, a 'real' pureblood doesn't need to know about muggles. That's the image I want to create for all of Hogwarts to see."

"Why do you need to create an 'image'?" asked the boy.

"Before this summer, I lived in the muggle world. I lived with my aunt and a live-in housekeeper, Margaret. She's a muggleborn who my aunt hired after I was orphaned. She raised me because my aunt works all the time."

"But you grew up with magic, right?"

"Sorta, we have a regular house and do things like use the cooker when the elves are not there. My aunt has special wards that hide the house from all magical people except us."

"That's brilliant! Everyone should have those wards!" Harry said, his face smiling. Then he added, "But everyone seems to know you."

"They know my name because of my aunt. You're the one everyone grew up hearing stories about! I never met any of the other kids at Hogwarts before my birthday when I turned eleven and officially became Heiress Bones."

"But Hannah says you are best friends…"

"I do like her and like having magical friends. But I miss my friends from back home. I went to primary just like you and loved school and my life there."

Harry shook his head, "I hated my life with my muggle guardians. I was their servant and starved."

"Does my aunt know about this?" Susan asked with surprise evident in her voice.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. Gringotts takes care of everything for me now. My guardian is a healer who works there."

He shook his head, "I don't miss the muggles."

"I miss the lamps and lights in every room. I miss the radio!" Then Susan lifted the long hem of her robes and said, "Regular clothes are so much better!"

"Yeah, it is weird to wear a dress!" Harry agreed as he lifted the hem of his robes. Susan saw the trainers and blue jeans underneath.

Now Harry asked, "So, what does Hannah think about this?"

"She's got no idea and I can't tell her," Susan said but then paused. "Well, I can't tell her yet. I have to see if she wants to be a pureblood princess or if she wants to stand on her own two feet."

Harry nodded. "Zach knows I have a lot of power; he respects that but he still thinks he's better because his great-great-grandparents were all purebloods."

They stopped on the path again and Harry asked, "Okay, why are you telling me this?"

"The troll scared me. I almost ran away last night."

"How would you get back to…"

"That's a secret. But I've got a way to get away from Hogwarts if there's a disaster or attack."

"And hide among the muggles?" asked Harry as Susan nodded.

"I'll talk to Hedwig and Felicity," Harry said. "They'll know what I should do."

"Harry, I wanted to mention this to you because Auntie thinks the goblins will help you… and hopes they will help others without demanding too much gold."

Harry discounted the worry about Goblin greed immediately; his vaults were full of gold he'd never use and he'd help his friends if it took every Galleon.

"Justin and Hermione will understand immediately and I'd take Neville with me."

"But… his grandmother?" asked Susan.

"She thinks he's just above a squib and planned to dump him in the muggle world until his letter came in July."

"Good. That's two more allies."

"The Patils are unhappy with Magical Britain and Hermione is ghast… uh, aghast… that's the word she used." Harry took a deep breath and motioned toward the flying field. "We got a lot to learn to be ready to fly away…"

"Come on, they're waiting on us," Susan agreed. 

"I love flying," Harry shouted to the other kids as they selected brooms and took to the sky to follow their professor's instructions on swoops and turns.

After ten minutes Hedwig took over the flying lesson and led the kids up above the castle to show them how to find the thermals rising from the ground, and to find the 'rivers' of wind in the sky.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Remus Talks with Minerva and Flitwick

The loud knock on her office door in the middle of the day drew the Deputy Headmistress from her marking of seventh year transfiguration test papers. She welcomed the distraction because it appeared that something serious had occurred in the Ravenclaw dormitory this week – half of the 'claws only scored in the EE or A levels rather than all in the O levels.

She'd sent for Filius to see if he was dealing with the problem appropriately. The 'claws always help to bolster the overall grades during Newts and transfiguration was a core subject.

"Come!" Minerva called and looked up as her door opened to reveal Remus Lupin rather than Filius Flitwick. She remembered the wizard from his years as a serious student who dragged the other marauders along each year – James Potter was talented at transfiguration but couldn't write an essay that was legible or sensible until Remus took him in hand. And it was better not to think about the mess that was the product of Sirius Black's studies. And the fourth boy; Minerva could not even remember his name or face today.

"Professor Lupin, how can I help you this afternoon?"

"Deputy Headmistress, first I wanted to ask if you had any update on Fred and George Weasley. Percy told me at the end of class he'd had no news from his parents in two days."

McGonagall nodded, "Ask Professor Burbage or Healer Troutman. They can floo-call Saint Mungo's for some news and get messages to Mr and Mrs Weasley to contact their son."

Recognizing the deputy had no other news about the injured boys, Lupin continued, "I have had a request by some of the younger students to help them form a maths club. I wanted your permission to get some materials to help them."

"Maths? Is that like arithmancy?" McGonagall asked. "That was never a subject in which I excelled."

"It is like arithmancy using numbers but it's not divination."

"Why do the students want a maths club then?"

There was another knock on the door and Filius Flitwick let himself in Minerva's office.

"Afternoon Minerva? You asked to see me?" Filius asked. He turned to Remus, bowed his head and greeted his former student. "Lupin, it is good of you to come help out Pomona. She'd be lost without you this fall."

Minerva directed the conversation back onto the current subject by saying, "Filius, Professor Lupin was just asking permission to create a maths club, something similar to the English club he set up in September."

"Yes, that's a great idea! I believe Professor Burbage is sponsoring the English club and claims she can tell a difference in student compositions already." Filius smiled as he continued, "And she's got the different ages reading different books but still stimulating conversations all over the castle."

"Will this stir up the muggleborns?" she asked and then remembered that Remus lived among the muggles apparently. Her face grew sour for a moment but Remus pretended not to notice or be offended.

Before anyone could wander into areas of muggleborn discontent, Flitwick moved their discussion along, "If anything, these clubs will help settle the muggleborn into our magical society. They will find the parallels between British literature and stories of Merlin we live by. They can use maths to improve spell creation in later years…"

"Will you assume sponsorship of this club? Lupin is only here until the end of the year," she reminded the diminutive charms professor.

"Yes, of course I will sponsor the club. Most of my claws will join for certain – even the purebloods will see the benefits to knowing more about numbers…"

"To count their Galleons," Remus snickered.

McGonagall who came from a working-class family, agreed the upper crust of Magical Britain held a great deal of wealth but with her pureblood upbringing, that was the natural order of things. Her family excelled as professionals in transfiguration work and charms – one great-great uncle inventing the space expansion charms that made the famous trunks of Britain possible. As long as muggleborn were kept in their place, the purebloods of all classes were secure in their powers.

"Very well, professors, put your maths club into place. And Flitwick, I do need to talk to you about your seventh year 'claws. Their latest test scores in transfiguration are not up to their usual standards."

The charms professor waved away the transfiguration professor's claims. "They are still getting settled and working up their study schedules for NEWTs. The purebloods will be top of the class this year; it's nothing to worry about."

Minerva frowned and asked, "Have you been eating the headmaster's lemon drops? That sounds like something Dumbledore would say if I told him the same news."

The part-goblin shook his head and looked offended by the comparison. "No, I steer clear of the headmaster as much as possible. I have no desire to deal with his troll or three-headed dog."

Remus took the opportunity to ask, "What will you do about trolls and three-headed dogs? Eventually, more students will get caught in the blow-back from the headmaster's games."

"What's 'blow-back'?" asked Filius.

"A muggle expression for consequences to actions – either intentional or unintentional," Lupin explained.

"Yes, I understand," Minerva said. "When Griselda Marchbanks said she'd ask the Board of Governors to force Dumbledore to quit his other positions, I was pleased for a moment. Hogwarts without trolls, mysterious treasures and rumours of 'dark creatures' would be a better school."

Remus couldn't help but blush at the deputy headmistress's choice of words but he kept his retort to himself. His true status was a valuable secret he intended to protect.

"Then I realized if his soul focus was on the school, things would get worse. I asked her not to make the motion and I fear I have damaged my relationship with her."

"So, what is your plan?" asked Flitwick.

"I want Dumbledore to retire from being headmaster," she replied. "I don't care if they make me headmistress or not. New blood at the top might be good for the school. But if Dumbledore is gone, Hogwarts will be better!"

"What about his argument that he has to be here to protect the school?"

Now Minerva frowned, "Moody told me that if the wards were fully charged, there'd be no way for a dark creature, Death Eater, or dark magic artefact entering the school."

"How do you get him to retire, then?" asked Lupin.

Minerva grimaced and admitted, "I don't know yet. I know it'll take a least three years and I don't have a plan today. But I will."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Harry and Hedwig Talk… Well Hedwig Talks

In their dorm room, Harry, Justin and Neville were putting away their books and preparing to head for the Great Hall for supper. In her usual magical way, Hedwig flew into the room through an owl window that Hogwarts opened in the wall near Harry's bed.

She immediately landed on his desk and began peering at her boy, hooting quietly. He stood and turned around for her slowly. Then she looked toward the other two boys who rose and approached Harry's desk.

"She wants to make certain you are okay after meeting the troll. Turn around slowly," Harry said solemnly.

Hedwig chortled and hooted some more with Harry replying, "Yes, our friends in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are fine. None of us were hurt by the troll."

"Just scared…" Neville interjected and Harry had to nod in agreement with the statement.

"It was… I was scared," Justin agreed.

Then Hedwig began barking, hissing and flapping her wings, throwing the papers on Harry's desk into the air.

"I'm sorry Hedwig, I should have told you all about the troll before sending you with the letter to Susan's aunt. I wasn't thinking straight."

The owl calmed down and hopped from the desk to his shoulder where she proceeded to spend a moment chortling in his ear, and then preening his messy hair. The dark-haired boy had tears in his eyes but he didn't explain anything to Neville and Justin.

Then the owl returned to the desk, and Harry translated while Hedwig hooted as she paced back and forth on the desk, "Hedwig says she would have been scared too. She wants us all to learn to fly without brooms or to learn apparition to be able to get away from things like that."

Neville shook his head. "We're not allowed to learn apparition until we're seventeen and only Merlin had enough power to fly without a broom."

"So, we're stuck on the ground in front of a troll; what do we do?" asked Justin.

"We could use portkeys," Neville said. "They could take us all to my house."

Hedwig hooted and Harry translated, "Hedwig says that Whiskers has a ward over Hogwarts that prevents any portkey going through the wards."

"Then we use portkeys that take us to a safe place inside the castle," Justin said.

"Like the library or this dorm room," Neville suggested.

Hedwig hooted and Harry listened to her quietly. He nodded several times and then suggested, "Can I write the letter after dinner? I'm really hungry and I'd like to get Hermione's suggestions on how to tell Felicity about the troll."

The owl sounded like she was scolding her boy again and Harry blushed.

"I'm not going to try and hide the information from her. I want to make certain the story doesn't upset the babies when she reads it to them."

Justin and Neville both swore later that there was a smirk on the owl's face as she hooted a short statement to which Harry turned pale.

"What did she say?" asked Justin.

Harry swallowed and explained, "Hedwig said I should be much more concerned about Ragnock declaring blood feud with Dumbledore for having a troll in Hogwarts with so many heirs in the castle."

Neville smiled evilly and said, "I didn't think about that slant on the news. When I write my grandmother, I'll couch it as a threat against the House of Longbottom…"

"So how many heirs of important families are we talking about?" asked Justin.

Neville began listing the names, "There's Hathaway in Ravenclaw; Flint, Greenhouse, Parkinson and Malfoy in Slytherin; and Longbottom, Potter, Bones, McMillan, and Smith in Hufflepuff."

"None in Gryffindor?" asked Harry.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Lupin Helps Percy

After leaving McGonagall and Flitwick as the two veteran professors discussed plans for testing in transfiguration and charms, Lupin made his way to the infirmary. Healer Troutman was not dealing with any students this morning and he agreed to check on the Weasley twins.

"Since they've been gone, I haven't had a single student to put back to rights from duck feet or purple hair. I intend to put the fear of Morgana Le Fey in them when they return!" the healer admitted.

Lupin smiled as he cast his Patronus and sent a message to Percy Weasley to come to the infirmary. Troutman's head was in the fireplace when Percy ran into the room, and Lupin directed him over to the fireplace.

"Your son is here now," Troutman said as he stepped back and let Percy lean into the green flames.

"Dad! How are the twins?" the two men heard the boy ask before they were too far enough away to hear the conversation.

Lupin smiled and said, "Thanks for helping Percy. He's working very hard to be a good prefect and help Professor Burbage in Gryffindor house."

"You were in Gryffindor, weren't you?"

Grinning, Remus said, "I was – I am still in many ways."

Troutman grinned and pointed to his own chest saying, "Ravenclaw still with my books and desire for knowledge."

"What can you tell me about the twins without violating confidentiality?"

"They will make a full recovery though I doubt we see them before the first of the year."

"So long?"

"Fred's leg had to be regrown and George ended up losing his toes on both feet and the fingers on his right hand. They had to be regrown."

"Isn't that really expensive?"

Troutman nodded and smiled, "And when I expressed concern about funds to pay for the procedures and potions, I was assured that the Weasleys have a wealthy patron who agreed to pay for all the treatments."

"Wealthy patron?" asked Lupin with honest surprise in his question.

Now Troutman grinned, "Mrs Weasley had a valid memory of Headmaster Dumbledore agreeing to pay for all the treatments needed to help her sons recover. He'll receive bills starting in the next few days that will set him back a couple thousand galleons."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dumbledore Visits Transfiguration Class

The next morning, Harry and Neville sent letters south; Neville's to Lady Longbottom at the family manor home, and Harry's to Felicity at Gringotts with Hedwig carrying the carefully written letters. The snowy owl would deliver the letter to a helpful elf at the Longbottom home (Lady Longbottom seldom dealt with any owl), and then Hedwig would fly on to London with the letter for the healer. Once it was delivered, the owl would visit with Hagrid and the dragons for an hour or so before flying back to Hogwarts.

Hermione's owl, named 'Bilbo' by Mrs. Granger, carried letters to her parents in Crawley and to Justin's family in the city. Apparently, the Finch-Fletchley family had a home in London and a vacation home in Southampton. Neither of their letters carried any information about trolls but they did ask for home-education materials for English, math and science.

*(+++++)*

Hermione wrote: **There's nothing in the Hogwarts curriculum for advanced math or science. You know those are two of my favourite subjects. We can reach out to some education people over Christmas and get me a good curriculum to follow. **

*(+++++)*

Justin wrote: **Dad, I need some books on government relations and the economics of trade. There's nothing here to prepare me for university. We'll talk more at Christmas.**

*(+++++)*

Neville's letter carried reports of good grades, proper manners by the half-bloods and muggleborns in Hufflepuff and stories of the horrid manners exhibited by the purebloods again and again. He included a request for his allowance to purchase some additional text books for study. In a closing paragraph, he informed his grandmother of the threat to the Longbottom family with a troll in the castle.

He wrote:** PS: Dumbledore had a troll here inside the castle until the other day. It broke free of a sleeping spell and it would have made short work of me and other house heirs if Professor Moody and the other professors hadn't locked it behind a ward. I was there with Bones, Potter, McMillian and Smith! Dumbledore endangered the future of five families of the light.**

*(+++++)*

All the letters included requests for educational study books for maths, English, composition, and science to start the 'clubs' for self-study for these subjects.

*(+++++)*

Unknown to the firsties in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, several owls carried letters with similar requests from muggleborn in each year as they transferred part of their focus to their muggle studies. They all expected to leave the magical world for good once they returned to London at the end of their education at Hogwarts.

Three students, sixth year muggleborns in Hufflepuff, planned to leave at Christmas and then send letters to the ministry and Hogwarts over the holiday with their withdrawal from Magical Britain. They'd completed their Owls last spring and as soon as they turned seventeen, they would be adults with wand privileges. Their parents were in communication with tutors – older muggleborns who'd left Magical Britain behind years before. The tutors would help the sixth years begin catching up.

Several fifth-year muggleborns in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor planned to leave after completing their OWLs in June and not return to 'waste another year' as one 'puff explained quietly to the other muggleborns one afternoon in their English club.

*(+++++)*

That morning's transfiguration class, began normally with Professor McGonagall's lecture on the next spell and the theory behind it. The formidable woman was only fifteen minutes into her lecture, when the door of her classroom opened and Albus Dumbledore entered, stopping McGonagall's lecture.

"Professor Dumbledore, how can I help you?" she asked, evidently confused at his appearance at that moment.

"Don't stop on my account, professor," the wizard instructed his deputy by waving his hand to dismiss her question. "Continue on as if I were not here."

McGonagall did continue with the theory, incantation and wand movement for her Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students but when she saw the headmaster stop at the desk where Harry Potter sat with Miss Granger, she directed all the students to begin practicing the wand movements and hurried over to the row of seats.

*(+++++)*

As soon as the headmaster appeared in the room, Harry's grew tense – the old wizard continually tried to read his mind and asked questions that no teacher should be asking.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," the headmaster said as he stopped beside Harry's desk. Harry ignored the man while taking care to capture McGonagall's lecture on the notebook on his desk.

"What's this? A muggle pen and paper?" Albus asked. "That's certainly against the rules and I shall have to assign you a detention with Professor Snape for this."

"There's no rule against using biros and paper for notes," Harry replied, looking up at the headmaster for the first time. "I know I can't turn in an assignment on paper but I can make my notes on it."

"Nonetheless, it is muggle and doesn't belong in Magical Britain. All things muggle are discarded…"

Seated with Harry this morning, Hermione was affronted by the headmaster's claim, and she began to argue with the old wizard.

"That's a falsehood, headmaster!" declared the brilliant firstie from Ravenclaw. "If Magical Britain discards all things muggle, why do we have a locomotive that travels on muggle train tracks? The Hogwarts Express is muggle-built and it carries the students back and forth to Hogwarts."

"That's right!" Justin and Neville chimed in.

Padma snorted and said, "Try and take my muggle shoes from me and I'll hex you into your next great adventure…"

"Alright children…" Albus said as he tried to peer into Harry Potter's mind but once again, there were powerful protections around the boy's mind.

As a blinding headache exploded in his mind, the headmaster realized, _'So the owl's not the protector of the boy's mind.'_

Fleeing the angry transfiguration professor, Dumbledore heard her say, "Mr. Potter, the detention assigned by the headmaster is cancelled."

*(+++++)*

But when they stepped out of the classroom on their way to lunch and then charms class, the headmaster stood blocking the hallway.

"I need to examine your wand, Mr. Potter," Albus told the young boy. "There may be spells cast on it… It certainly doesn't look like a regular wand."

Now truly upset with the headmaster, Hermione declared, "No, Professor Dumbledore! In our very first DADA class, Professor Moody said to never allow anyone to take your wand from you, even if they say they want to examine it for charms. The examination allows the other wizard to cast spells on your wand."

"Miss Granger, I would never do such a thing!" declared the headmaster, with his hand out for Harry's wand. But the 'puff remembered Ironstream and Professor Moody both emphasizing that no one should be allowed to touch your wand unless it was a wand crafter or an Auror making an official investigation.

"No," Harry insisted, moving away from the headmaster with his friends pulling out their wands.

"Albus Dumbledore! Git yersel' awa' fae mah students afore ah transfigure ye intae a moose!" swore McGonagall, her Scottish temper unleashed at the headmaster.

_(Get yourself away from my students before I transfigure you into a mouse!)_

"Minerva, Mr. Potter's wand is too powerful for a young boy. I must take him to Ollivander's and get the wand I… that is correct for him."

"Ye doolally sassenach! Th' wand chooses th' wizard. Lea aff afore ah bring th' governors intae this!"

_(You crazy Englishman! The wand chooses the wizard. Leave off before I bring the governors into this!)_

Dumbledore pulled his wand but Minerva's wand was already pointed at him and her transfiguration spell hit the headmaster in the stomach, turning him into a grey mouse with extremely long whiskers. She levitated the mouse into her classroom and into a terrarium with a heavy glass lid and a few air holes.

"Mibbie a few days as a moose wull be guid fur ye. Behave or ah wull summon Mr Longbottom's toad 'n' feed ye tae him," she threatened the headmaster before she motioned the children to leave the classroom and closed the door to head for lunch.

_(Perhaps a few days as a mouse will be good for you. Behave or I will summon Mr. Longbottom's toad and feed you to him._

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Harry's Letter to Felicity

**Dear Felicity,**

**This first page is not for the babies or for Hagrid. I'm afraid they'd get upset. Use your best judgement with Ragnock on how to respond to this story. **

**First of all, everyone is fine. No one was hurt. Hedwig will nod to verify that we are all well in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw…**

…**then the troll was carried away by the phoenix. But Dumbledore said it was only an illusion, not a real troll. Madam Bones came to Hogwarts and gave the headmaster a stern lecture but he just smiled and waved her away after agreeing to bring back a couple of old classes. **

**Susan says the headmaster has dirt on everyone and so no one opposes him. Susan also said to talk to her Aunt talk about plans for next summer. A vacation or something like that. **

**The headmaster makes me nervous – he's always looking at me funny and my medallion always grows warm when he is around. **

**Love, Harry**

*(+++++)*


	23. Chapter 23

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Remus and Snape work together to eliminate the nest of rats underneath Hogwarts. Harry, Neville and Justin discuss maths and Arithmancy before going to Professor Lupin for information on the origins of numbers. Miss Tonks asks a very important question in history class that stirs up more trouble than a little old troll.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 23: More HistorySCENE: Remus and Snape Work Together

While Dumbledore spent three days as a mouse in McGonagall's classroom, Professor Snape and Professor Lupin used the poison brewed in the potions lab to destroy the nest of rats living underneath the dungeons. Once the creatures were dead, the elves ventured into the nest and banished the carcasses into the depths of the North Sea.

The few rats to escape the poison became supper for the messenger owls that pounced on them around the greenhouses.

The two wizards agreed on the success of their venture only two days later when the head elf reported there were no rats anywhere in the castle; not a single rat remained.

Snape, who usually had some common sense, left his in a bottle on the shelf in his bathroom that morning because he failed to connect the fact that Ron Weasley still had his pet 'rat' with him at breakfast, lunch, and dinner despite the report by the head elf that the castle was 'rat free'.

Remus Lupin never saw the rat that Ron kept in a pocket of his robes – the rat recognized the werewolf from their years at Hogwarts and decided to hide most of each day inside the boy's robes. The preteen's scent hid the rat's scent so Lupin's sense of smell missed the rat as well.

*(+++++)*

With the rats gone, Remus took time to talk to Severus Snape about 'potions' in the muggle world. They were seated in the staff room waiting for the other professors to appear and discuss the week's successes and problems.

"Snape, you created a potion that was lethal to the rats within seconds of being exposed to it. Was it the liquid that killed them?"

"The poison was lethal to the rodents through the fumes, splashing on their fur, or simply rubbing against the residue it left after it dried," Snape said.

Lupin nodded his head. "That is spectacular!"

Severus sneered, "Why the compliments wolf? What do you need?"

Now, Lupin shook his head. "I need more hours in the day but the dangers of time turners outweigh the benefits of the extra hours."

He glanced around the room, reached for a cup of tea from the tray the elves left on the table and asked, "Have you considered using your talents to create something that could be sold in the regular world? Could you develop versions of the hang-over potion, or headache potion that could be used by non-magical people?"

The werewolf used several important words that would later standout when Severus reviewed the memory but now, he sneered as he asked, "Potions don't work on muggles; they have no magical core, as you well know."

"But if you look at the hang-over potion, once it is brewed, it does not use any magic to provide relief from drinking too much. And the headache potion is the same."

"Why would I want to create versions of these potions for the people without magic? The ministry would not allow me to brew for the muggles."

"There'd be no magic involved in the production of the new cures for common ailments. Your genius in the potion lab is well-documented. It's only natural that you would develop a breakthrough medicine that secured your future."

"Secure?" asked Snape. "How can I be secure from the Dark Lord? Or from Dumbledore?"

Lupin nodded. "I truly believe the Dark Lord is dead and gone. The headmaster is stumbling about and creating distrust among the staff here at Hogwarts. How long until he allows something to happen here that gets an important child injured or killed?"

Severus nodded in agreement. "I believe the deputy headmistress has decided to campaign for removal of the headmaster."

Nodding in agreement, Lupin said, "No doubt it will take her several years. During that time, you could develop your skills with muggle chemistry, examine your potions under their methods, and develop something that works…"

"Dumbledore would claim the potion as belonging to Hogwarts!"

"Your experiments could be restricted to summer and occur off-site…"

"Where?"

"I have contacts with the regular world who are very interested in moving Magical Britain into more modern circumstances."

Severus stared at the werewolf and nodded, "Do you dream of destroying Magical Britain?"

Remus Lupin looked up from his tea, the fear and surprise at the wizard's question easily displayed in his features.

"Good Lord, no!" he assured Severus. "No one wants to violate the Statute of Secrecy and separation of worlds. But Magical Britain has become a liability to the Magical World and to the United Kingdom. Her Majesty demands that Her government make the wizards and witches follow the common laws, raise the standard of living and quality of education, and prevent the next Death Eater Insurrection."

Snape paused hearing the title the muggle government gave to the Dark Lord's war that ended in 1981. He asked quietly, "Is that what they call it at Buckingham Palace?"

"And in MI-5."

Severus reached for a cup of tea. "What is MI-5?"

"Internal security for the kingdom," Lupin replied. "The department started after we began at Hogwarts. They've reached out to the Unspeakables a couple times but there's never been a reply."

"And your role in all this?" snorted Severus. "Spies usually survive by not revealing that they are spies, Lupin."

"Who said I was a spy? I was hired by Dumbledore for three months to be Professor Sprout's muscle in the greenhouse."

The door opened as the other professors filed into the room and Snape hissed, "I'll think on this and we'll speak again later."

Remus nodded but kept his face from showing how pleased he was with the potion professor's reactions.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Revelations in Maths and Arithmancy

Harry and Justin argued with Neville that Arithmancy was not older than Maths as they waited outside the greenhouse for their practical time with Professor Lupin. Neville found the muggle math books to be fascinating and Hermione spent time with the 'puff showing him how to find patterns in the numbers.

The pureblood wizard asked for more books but kept trying to make all Maths into Arithmancy. That tendency led to a friendly argument outside the greenhouse.

When the wizard opened the door and allowed the boys in, Neville asked, "Professor, which is older – Arithmancy or maths?"

The wizard was surprised that the young man asked a question about something other than herbology so he immediately responded.

"Neither. They were born at the same moment when someone in ancient times began counting and then created 'numbers' to go with their counting.

"Was it the Romans?" asked Neville. "In history class we're learning how the Romans influenced all 'western' magic and Britain."

"No, the Romans were not great with numbers though they helped to separate Arithmancy from Maths. The Romans used very clumsy symbols for numbers."

"That's right," Justin agreed. "They used 'X' for ten, 'V' for five and you had to add 'I' as one to 'V' to make six… It's confusing."

Nodding Remus added, "The numbers we use today are called 'Arabic' numbers but I think they actually originated in India."

"How do you know some much about the world outside of Magical Britain, professor?" asked Neville. "I read lots of history but never saw any of this information."

"I live in the regular world most of the time."

"Do you like living with the muggles?" asked Neville though Harry and Justin both rolled their eyes.

Lupin nodded his head. "But I keep my wand under notice-me-not whenever I am in the muggle world."

Then Harry Potter asked the most important question, "Which world do you prefer, professor?"

Now Lupin paused and gave a very strange answer. "Which world I prefer is not important. Each wizard must get their education here at Hogwarts before they decide which world is better for their particular talents."

Harry studied the man closely and decided he was under a compulsion to make that statement. Lupin noticed the look on the boy's face and winked.

"I am under contract to Hogwarts until after the first of the year," Lupin explained. "Send me a letter then and we can discuss it further."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Snape and Lupin Discuss Plans

Once the students returned to the castle, Remus remained in the greenhouse to complete harvesting leaves from a curly fern that the seventh-year students would use that afternoon in a potion.

"Lupin," called a voice the werewolf recognized as Severus Snape. The wizard was calling from the doorway to the greenhouse.

"Over here, Snape," Lupin replied. "I have the twenty-four fronds you requested."

Snape walked around the large potted plants to find the werewolf with a large basket holding the fronds from the fern – each stem continued to roll-up and then back out. His potions class began in thirty minutes and the students would use the ferns in the first ten minutes of class.

"Walk with me," Snape said as the two wizards came to the door of the greenhouse. He kept complete control of his voice but he'd examined the conversation with Lupin closely with his occlumency skills and he'd noted the werewolf's use of words that indicated he was living full-time in the 'regular' world – and thriving.

"Who sent you to Hogwarts?"

"Dumbledore invited me without any provocation on my part or the government. My bosses at MI-5 took it as a gift from Hecate to step back into Magical Britain and take the temperature, so-to-speak.

"And what about these clubs you are starting for English and Maths?"

Remus smiled and Severus recognized that the wizard was pleased to explain.

"Her Majesty's government is concerned by the number of muggleborns who return to the regular world without the skills for jobs or to continue their studies at university."

He pointed to himself and said, "I was hired about three years after graduation to work with some problems – we chased down the floundering muggleborn graduates and got them into programs and classes."

"Continue," Snape said.

"We want the kids to continue classes in English, Maths and Science while they are here. These are classes they began in primary school," Remus explained.

"Science?"

"Chemistry is a great deal like potions," the werewolf said.

Snape sneered. "And you need a sponsor for the chemistry club after your departure? Shall I work with the dunderheads additional hours each week?"

Remus grinned, "And so my bosses wanted to offer you the use of a laboratory each holiday, each summer… They will set up a complete potions lab in one hall while there will be a complete chemistry lab in an opposite wing with fully trained muggleborn assistants who will instruct you on the uses of the equipment and processes. The end product will be yours and yours alone."

"And why do I want to do this? Besides helping the muggleborn be better prepared to return to their world when they realize Magical Britain has no place for them?"

"You can be free of the purebloods, of the Dark Lord, and of Dumbledore. If you make – when you make – a breakthrough and create a potion for non-magical people, you would be the mysterious, reclusive inventor holding a very valuable patent," Lupin replied. "The regular government protects patents for the inventors for about seventy-five years."

"And…"

"Any company in the world that wanted to produce your product would have to pay a royalty for each dose of headache and hang-over cure sold. You'd be so rich, Malfoy would divorce his wife and beg you to marry him…"

"Don't be vulgar," Snape said. "Narcissa would poison Lucius and then offer herself to me without a contract. They are not as rich as you think."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Historical Revelations

While the headmaster was transfigured into a long-whiskered mouse in McGonagall's classroom, his greatest headache in a year filled with spectacular headaches began in Professor's Binns history class. This class was for the seventh-year students from all four houses; smart students knew history was an easy O if you worked from the tests for NEWTs and OWLs from the past five years. This year, the lectures in Professor Binns class proved to be interesting so more and more students attended his lectures when they had free periods.

Early in October, Dora Tonks received a monograph on the Dark Lord 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' as preparation for her examinations next spring to be an Auror. But she could not find any information on the origins of this dark wizard. She considered the scant materials in the library, and she thought about writing to the ministry but feared such an inquiry would only bring her to their attention in negative ways.

Then Dora realized that Professor Binns answered specific questions from students in history class with detailed, complete and accurate information. Potter's owl – Miss Hedwig – had awakened the ghost's extensive knowledge of the past and he'd proven to be well-informed on events in the current century as well.

As class was about to begin, Tonks raised her hand and Professor Binns motioned for her to stand and ask her question – Binns was 'old-school' where each student rose to their feet to ask a question.

"Professor, can you tell me the origins of the Dark Lord everyone calls 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'?"

"Sit down, Tonks!" shouted a pureblood from Slytherin. Marcus Newsome's family had been followers of the Dark Lord in the war and his father had gone to Azkaban after the arrests and trials ten years before when the Dark Lord was defeated.

"Ten points from Slytherin and two nights detention cleaning toilets, Mr. Newsome," Binns announced forcefully. "This is a class where each side needs to know the true origins of your history – ancient and contemporary!"

"Alright then 'professor', what is the origin of the Dark Lord Voldemort?" asked Newsome with evident cheek in his tone. Most of the students cringed when their classmate said the feared name aloud.

Binns snorted with laughter and the students all stared – the ghost never laughed before.

"Very well, but before I detail the origins of this dark lord, let me summon two of my fellow inhabitants of Hogwarts. With three spirits here in the classroom, you will admit – you must agree – that the story we three will tell you is the truth and cannot be denied by anyone, light or dark."

Just two minutes later, with the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron floating beside him, the history professor began by declaring, "The self-named Dark Lord Voldemort was given the name of Thomas Marvolo Riddle when he was born. His mother was named Merope Gaunt, the last female from the Slytherin line, a line degraded into squibs."

"So, he is the Heir of Slytherin," Newsome said, feeling vindicated in defending the Dark Lord.

Grinning – a scary look on a ghost at any time – Binns paused for a moment to capture each student's attention before he added, "Yes, he 'was' the Heir of Slytherin but his father was a muggle."

"What?" Newsome asked. "The Dark Lord is pureblood."

"No," stated the Grey Lady, floating forward and speaking clearly. "I remember Tom. He attended Hogwarts in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He excelled in every class and became head boy in his seventh year. But he turned to evil and descended into madness before he died."

"But he can't die! My grandfather said that Voldemort will return! Even Dumbledore hints that the Dark Lord will come back!" Newsome declared for all to hear.

The Grey Lady caught the eye of many students as she disagreed saying, "The Dark Lord Tom Riddle is most sincerely dead! His madness brought about his final, true death and subsequent descent into the hell that awaits the truly evil."

The Bloody Baron floated forward and said, "While attending Hogwarts, Tom chose to follow a path to evil."

"Just because you're a dark wizard doesn't mean you're evil!" declared Newsome, desperate now for some reassurance that his family wasn't damned to hell.

"Agreed," replied Binns, the Grey Lady and Bloody Baron in unison, reinforcing the statements.

Binns continued saying, "Dark does not mean evil. Magic requires both the dark and light in balance to grow and prosper."

"But Tom Riddle chose evil and corrupted many purebloods to his side with promises of dark magic ascending over all other magics," the Bloody Baron stated coldly. "He made his followers into slaves, made them kiss the hem of his robes, made them kill their fellow witches and wizards…"

Now the Grey Lady sneered as she explained, "Tom created his dark lord title from some French words he looked up in a muggle English-to-French dictionary. He was never a true 'lord' of anything except for a team of anarchists creating terror across Magical Britain."

"Voldemort means 'flying from death' or some such nonsense," Binns said. "And he put a jinx on the name to make people stop smiling behind their hands when his followers demanded tribute and surrender."

From there, the class descended into more questions about Tom Riddle, while three students left the classroom to check the trophy hall and reported back on the name and the picture of the handsome boy from fifty years ago.

"My family was destroyed by this mudblood!" Newsome swore.

"Not so!" shouted Tonks and she crossed the aisle to stand beside her Slytherin classmate. "Not by a 'mudblood,' Newsome! Do you believe he fooled your grandparents and the other purebloods at the time? If so, that means they were idiots and fools!"

Newsome's face grew thunderous but Tonks plunged ahead, "We know that 'Tom Riddle' was more powerful than any wizard since Dumbledore and Grindelwald. He must have won the loyalty of the Slytherin purebloods in his year…"

The Bloody Baron floated down beside the two students and he said clearly enough for everyone in the room to hear him, "Tom was handsome and charismatic! I swear he was smarter that Albus Dumbledore at the same age!"

The ghost continued, "He captivated the Slytherin students in his time because he was a parsel-mouth and proved to be the heir of Slytherin in his third year. His fellow Slytherins forgave his origins, hid this information from their parents… and from their children apparently."

"So, the war here in Britain was for nothing?" asked Newsome. "Our families fought and died for nothing?"

"Exactly," agreed Binns. "Wizards killed wizards because they wouldn't agree about dark spells versus light spells."

"Wait… wasn't the war about the muggleborn coming into Magical Britain and taking over?" asked Tonks. "The papers I just read said…"

"No," Binns interrupted the young witch. "The old families from both sides will never allow the muggleborn to gain any power in politics or wealth in Magical Britain. The leaders of the light and the dark want to scare the magicals who work in the factories, the ministry and the shops. Those people must believe that the muggleborn are coming to try and take over Magical Britain."

Silence fell across the classroom.

"Then I don't understand why we bring the muggleborn to Hogwarts. If we're afraid of them…"

"By giving them a bad education, the ministry makes certain that none of the muggleborn can succeed in Magical Britain."

"But we get the same education!" shouted Newsome. "We take the same classes for seven years!"

"Yes, and as a consequence, you'll never rise up and demand the government do better than it does today," the Bloody Baron said.

In the silence that prevailed in the classroom, Binns stated, "Class dismissed."

Dora Tonks sat in her seat in history class for fifteen minutes. She felt sick to her stomach and swore she'd never set foot in the Ministry for Magic again once she completed her NEWTs. She would attend university and learn to be anything rather than an Auror.

Marcus Newsome went immediately to his head-of-house who was keeping office hours. The seventh year Slytherin was hot-headed behind closed doors but usually kept control of his face and temper in public. Today he begged Professor Snape to give him different information – to refute Professor Binns class.

The young wizard would get no such relief.

*(+++++)*

An extraordinary number of owls flew away with messages that evening and several fights broke out within Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Two purebloods from Hufflepuff spent the afternoon pouring over the school attendance records to confirm the attendance of a student named 'Thomas Marvolo Riddle' in a Slytherin the 30's and 40's.

"He was here when Dumbledore taught transfiguration!"

"He went to school with McGonagall and Sprout! They attended class with him! Let's go talk to them!"

After being merciless queried by the 'puffs in the Great Hall at dinner about 'Tom Riddle', Minerva and Pomona put the pieces together and realized that their classmate had become 'Lord Voldemort'.

"This is something that Dumbledore will have to address. Do you think he will return soon?" Pomona asked carefully. She'd heard the rumours of Dumbledore's current location but asked no questions.

During the meal, Severus Snape rose from his seat to approach the Deputy Headmistress and bow his head before whispering, "This news will explode in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Professor Binns and the other ghosts have tossed a burning ember into an explosive cauldron. Purebloods from both sides will be looking for someone to blame. And if Dumbledore is not there to keep things calm at the ministry, there'll be blood spilt. Please, release him, Minerva."

Minerva growled, her animagus form coming to the fore as she tried to hold her temper. But she nodded in agreement with the request from her fellow professors.

"He knew for years! He must have known that Tom became that monster!" the transfiguration professor fumed.

"That potion expired a long time ago, Minerva," Pomona argued. "Bring Dumbledore back and let him deal with this."

Sighing but nodding in agreement, Minerva muttered as she hurried from the Great Hall to release the headmaster from his form as a mouse. "I hope the purebloods…"

Alastor Moody was waiting at the transfiguration classroom door and before Minerva asked him why he was there, he anticipated her question by drawing his wand and saying, "He'll be angry. Together we can make him back down and listen. Albus can take his anger out on us later but this news from the ghosts has set a dragon loose in the library."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Return of Headmaster Mouse

Smelling rank after several days trapped in a glass container as a mouse, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, stumbled on the top stair returning to his office. His toe aching from banging on the stair, Dumbledore cursed all witches, all DADA professors, and all ghosts in the world!

'_Why does Minerva have to become protective of the students now? Why did Tonks have to ask that question? And why did Binns and the other ghosts have to answer her bloody question so completely?'_ he asked himself as he ignored the pile of mail on his desk.

Severus would be here shortly with the memory from Mr Newsome so Dumbledore could prepare his responses to the floo calls that would begin later tonight and carry on all tomorrow.

"Elf!" he called and found himself pleased when one popped into his office immediately.

"Yes, Mr Whiskers?"

"There is an emergency and I want… I need these things done immediately."

The elf nodded his head and Dumbledore continued, "Close the owlery for any bird trying to leave. Allow birds to enter but bring all their letters here. Wait, no, only bring me the letters from the Pureblood families."

"Yes, Mr Whiskers."

"And I want a supper tray with hot tea in fifteen minutes, and a large pile of pillows to kneel on in front of the floo. Get your best elf to try and clean these robes once I get undress…," Dumbledore said.

But the elf followed the headmaster's commands too eagerly, snapped his fingers, and left with the robes and undergarments leaving Albus cold and naked in his office, to climb the stairs to his sleeping chamber. Shrieks of outrage from the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses were balanced by the laughter from his familiar. Fawkes laughed so hard, she fell off the perch and rolled around on the carpeted floor.

Cursing elves, portraits, and phoenix familiars as well as ghosts, Albus hurried to shower, paying close attention to his hair and beard. Then he cast spells to dry his body, hair and bears while also applying air freshening charms to his hair, beard and torso. He hurried to dress in formal robes – if he had to speak to the minister or members of the Wizengamot on the floo tonight, he had to look the part of the Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dumbledore and Snape Discuss History

Albus withdrew his finger from the small pensive he'd been forced to purchase from a craftsman in Diagon Alley. For a painful moment he mourned the loss of the Potter pensive, the Potter magic cloak, and all those glorious books he'd never managed to find time to read.

And he regretted the loss of the memories stored in the pensive; he'd gathered many important memories from other people over the years. In fact, he'd loaded so many memories into the pensive, it could no longer 'project' memories for an audience to view.

The headmaster knew he needed to reassemble as many of the memories as possible, and he'd immediately gone to the shops looking for a new pensive when the castle began repairs. But he'd come away without a new pensive because the price for the full size, projection pensive was outrageous.

This smaller one was crafted for use at Saint Mungo's and in criminal investigations by the DMLE; it allowed a single person to view a single memory. Once he'd viewed the young wizard's memory several times, Albus returned it to the small ampule where it would remain stored.

"Why did Binns call in the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady do you think?" Snape asked when the headmaster had settled back in his chair after labelling the memory.

"To verify his statements. A single ghost telling a tale such as that could be discounted or even ignored, but three spirits together with the same story cannot be denied by even the strongest, darkest supporter of Tom Riddle."

"Or by the light?" asked Severus and the headmaster reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"And he was a mudblood?" the potions professor asked.

Sighing, Dumbledore nodded. "Technically a half-blood of some sort because his squib mother was a pureblood without magic, but no one will care about technicalities for the next few days."

"The ghosts reported that he is truly dead; do you agree?" the potions master asked with great hope evident in his question.

Now Dumbledore shook his head, "No. The ghosts do not know the measures Tom took to remain alive… to remain connected to the world of the living. Now that the Potter boy is here at Hogwarts, I expect Dark Lord to show up or manifest in some way or another each year until he returns and the boy dies."

"What?" the simple question from the Slytherin spy was filled with surprise and fear. He'd watched the memory and the ghosts had described the Dark Lord as 'sincerely dead' and in hell. Lupin had said the muggle government believed the Dark Lord to have been truly eliminated.

Waving Snape away, Dumbledore said, "I am tired Severus and I expect calls to begin on my floo shortly. Return to Slytherin and try to prevent any more letters from being sent home. We can talk at length tomorrow… or the next day."

Unhappy to be dismissed without consideration for his efforts to secure the headmaster's release or to provide complete information regarding the revelations in the history class, Snape kept his own counsel and left the headmaster's office.

Just as the door behind him closed, Snape heard the whoosh of the floo as the first call began.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Snape Accepts an Offer

There was a loud knock on the outer door of Remus Lupin's quarters at Hogwarts. The knock repeated every thirty seconds until the sleepy man opened the door. Remus was speechless for a moment to see a pensive Severus Snape standing in the hallway.

"Come in, come in," Remus said and opened the door wider. "Is there anything wrong?"

Snape was silent for a moment before he said, "I assume you can communicate with these MI-5 people."

Remus nodded without comment so Snape continued, "I am interested in their offer. And also, have them get in touch with a young man who graduated last year. Henry Small was in Ravenclaw and he has the talent to be a Potions Master but the purebloods in his house were jealous of his skill."

"Flitwick prevented their attempts to sabotage his work but they complained at home and their fathers forced me to blackball the boy with Saint Mungo's and the potion shops in Diagon Alley."

"I'll approach Flitwick for the names of his parents."

"Good. Henry can be a poster child for the Queen, but I want him available to work with me in the labs next summer."

"Good night then," Lupin said, reopening the door.

"Yes, it is a good night," Severus replied as he hurried through the darkened hallways of Hogwarts.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Phoenix Ashes

His knees would never recover from spending six hours at the floo overnight. The dark families were in a panic – the idiots – that the light families would massacre them now that Tom's history was known. There was hysteria among the light families – more idiots – who feared this was a ruse by the Dark Lord to cover his return.

'_As if Tom could return without me knowing it,' _the headmaster mused. _'With great power comes great responsibility… but that doesn't make my knees hurt any less.'_

Dumbledore stumbled across his office from the floo to his desk, shoved a pile of letters to the side, and called for an elf.

"You calls, Mr. Whiskers?" asked the elf as soon as it popped into his office. The creature stood on his desk and immediately began arranging the now enormous pile of letters into two neat stacks that balanced perfectly.

"I need a pain potion, please," he asked the elf. The little creature immediately popped away and then back with the small bottle containing a single dose of the pain potion.

"Here Mr Whiskers," the elf said handing over the bottle.

"Go," Dumbledore said without saying 'thank you'. The elf popped away and the headmaster drank the potion that immediately gave him relief from the pain in his knees.

'_Should I sleep or use a pepper-up?' _he wondered for a moment before deciding to sleep for a time seated in his throne. It had padded sides and feather pillow for his backside.

Sleep took the exhausted wizard quickly and when dawn finally broke, the man was stiff and sore, but managed to stand, stretch and begin his day. Again, he ignored the piles of letters, moving them to the side of his desk near the perch of his sleeping phoenix and making them a single, tall stack of letters.

Then he rose, and began a slow walk to the Great Hall, determined to see and be seen this morning.

'_Nothing has changed in Magical Britain,'_ he assured himself._ 'Just because Tom is the offspring of mudbloods doesn't mean he is no longer a threat and I am the only wizard who can deal with him when he returns.' _

*(+++++)*

More letters arrived for the headmaster during breakfast and Albus banished each of them to his office without glancing at the addresses. He spent the hour at the staff table making Minerva grovel for turning him into a mouse for three days and irritating Moody with insinuations that the wizard's power was fading – the Auror didn't have Dumbledore's levels of power to begin with.

Severus remained silent throughout the meal and the Healer spoke only to the potions master who never replied. The werewolf was leery and Dumbledore ignored him. None of the children appeared to fear the dark creature and the third-floor corridor was no longer an obstacle course – the Aurors with Amelia Bones dismantled every trick and trap the headmaster had placed there.

He'd put off sending any letter to Nicholas Flammel about the stone at Gringotts. The Daily Prophet picked up on the rumour that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden at Hogwarts better than the firsties had. The older students apparently turned a blind eye to the stories and the youngest students didn't understand the lure of immortality and endless gold.

Another owl chose to land in front of him at that moment, irritating the headmaster once again.

"Be off with you!" he ordered the owl but the creature merely hooted and offered the letter attached to one leg.

"Go away!" he ordered, brandishing his wand. The owl was well-trained in delivery but retained a sense of self-preservation as it flicked its leg, released the letter, and dove away from the table. The bird dropped down between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, to gather speed before it rocketed out of the Great Hall through one of the multiple owl-windows open this time of day.

Harry watched from his seat as the Gringotts owl sped away, safe from any spell the headmaster might throw at it.

"I hope that wasn't one of Hedwig's friends," he told Justin who kept his mouth closed while he wondered about owls having friends… but if they can talk, why can't they have friends?

At the staff table, Minerva began saying, "Headmaster…"

Albus banished the latest letter away to his office and frowning turned to his deputy. Her mouth was set in her usual stern façade and he had no desire to bear her tongue lashing this morning.

"What?" he demanded tersely.

Minerva merely wanted to point out that the owl he'd dismissed, had been a Gringotts owl bearing a message of some importance. The headmaster's unpleasant tone ended any concern she had for him dismissing an important letter.

"Nothing, it's nothing," she said to end their conversation. Then she rose from the table and set about her day. Albus smirked as a cat's tail, ears and whiskers appeared on the transfiguration mistress. She'd know instantly that it was his spell that gave her the characteristics of her animagus form.

'_Let her have to deal with a tail, big ears and whiskers for three days and see how she likes it!'_ he smirked.

The students fell silent as their transfiguration professor paused only one moment before continuing her steps from the Great Hall to her classroom. Rather than feel embarrassed by the headmaster's prank, she'd use it in each of her lessons – partial transfiguration for her sixth- and seventh-year classes, dangers of partial animagus transformation for her fourth- and fifth-year classes, and the possibilities of transfiguration with the youngest three years.

*(+++++)*

High in his office tower, the stack of letters on Dumbledore's desk reached almost five feet high. They were very carefully balanced by magic and normally would not fall over – there were several sealed classrooms in the castle with stacks of fan mail and gifts for the Potter boy that were fifteen or more feet tall and they'd stood for ten years without problems.

But each stack of fan mail for the boy-who-lived was separate from the Gringotts statements and letters that were stacked separately. When these items were ignored for a certain number of days, Gringotts recalled them to be destroyed in dragon fire.

The letter from Gringotts this morning that Dumbledore dismissed was a different type – an invitation to attend a meeting with Ragnock, Chief of the Goblins in Great Britain. The letter contained a port key to bring the headmaster comfortably to Gringotts if he wished but it also included an urgency in the request for the meeting.

When this letter from Gringotts appeared in his office and was added to the top of the stack of letters, the presence of the new letter caused an older Gringotts letter, near the bottom of the pile, to vanish as it was recalled. This older letter was the notification of the claim by Saint Mungo's against Dumbledore's vault to pay for the treatment of Frederick Weasley and George Weasley at the hospital. The first payment due was for over a thousand galleons.

The letter vanished and the headmaster's account was debited the full amount. The next bill would automatically be debited from the account and until Dumbledore received his October statement in early November, he'd have no idea that he'd paid over two thousand galleons to regrow Fred's leg and George's fingers and toes.

More immediately, the vanishing letter at the bottom of the pile upset the neat stack of letters from the minister, many members of the Wizengamot, and personal letters from leaders of most of the dark and light families in Great Britain.

The neat stack began a slow fall away from the headmaster's desk and onto the sleeping phoenix. Ten letters fell to the floor next to the desk while four fell far enough away to land on the other side of the perch. But fifty-three letters, including the invitation to a meeting at Gringotts, landed on the sleeping bird and her stand.

None of the portraits in the office were occupied at the moment so no one heard the squawk of the startled firebird. Her bird's first instinctive reaction to having something 'fall' on her back was to flame away to a safe spot. In the instant that she disappeared, flames consumed all fifty-three letters and left a pile of fine ashes around the perch.

*(+++++)*


	24. Chapter 24

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The goblins wait for Dumbledore to arrive for an important meeting. The headmaster does not attend the meeting with consequences for his bank account. An uninvited guest makes a mess of things and then Cornelius Fudge arrives. The entire chapter takes place at Gringotts.

Chapter 24: Invitation to a MeetingSCENE: Discussion with the Bank Director

The news of Harry's letter about the troll spread among the goblins – the threat to so many vaults (and innocent children) – prompted the goblins to meet and demand changes. Many discussions led to an 'invitation' for Ironstream, Sowsbreath and Felicity to meet with Ragnock, the chief, Director of all Gringotts. This was a goblin that Ironstream seldom met with and Felicity had only seen him from a distance at some ceremonies in the deep caverns.

As they waited inside the office of the Director, Felicity noticed that Ironstream was nervous. There were armed guards everywhere – Ragnock was the head of state so he was well protected. But Ironstream appeared shaken; an unusual state for the calm account manager and the healer offered him a calming potion brewed for goblin physiology.

"No, thank you, Healer Grossman. I must be fully aware of my surroundings," Ironstream replied when he waved off the offered potion bottle. He nodded toward the empty desk in front of them and added, "If anything happens during the meeting that leads to bloodshed, do nothing to render aide to the injured until the director gives you permission. He may want me to bleed for a time…"

"Ironstream, you've done nothing wrong!" insisted the healer but the goblin didn't reply. Sowsbreath stood on the other side of Ironstream and the normally talkative goblin was silent.

The guards suddenly stiffened, banged the bottoms of their spears against the stone floor as a door at the back of the room opened to allow an impeccably dressed but very short goblin to enter the room. This goblin moved to one side and announced, "All goblins and humans bow before the wealth and gold of Ragnock, First Director of Gringotts Bank, War Chieftain of the Gringotts Horde!"

Felicity curtseyed as if she were before the Queen, as a goblin in a fine suit of clothes entered the chamber, waved the announcer back, and then strode to his desk and settled into his chair. Felicity knew that goblins used steps and raised platforms to keep themselves at the same height as their human customers. Ragnock was no different even in this private office proving that she wasn't the first human to attend a meeting here.

"Account Manager Ironstream, Archivist Sowsbreath, Healer Grossman, I have summoned you here today to discuss this news from our ward Harry Potter about a troll at Hogwarts within reach of multiple heirs."

Felicity was pleased to hear the director call Harry 'our ward', this extended his protections over the young wizard though it also came with obligations.

"Thank you, Director Ragnock," Ironstream said. "We passed along the information as soon as we realized the threat that it posed."

Ragnock lifted a copy of Harry's letter from his desk, read the highlighted portion once again, and turned to Sowsbreath.

"How many heirs are in danger at Hogwarts?"

The archivist detailed the threat saying, "In addition to our ward, Harry Potter, there are five important heirs who have no siblings at Hogwarts today. This includes Neville Longbottom, Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, and Annette Hathaway. There are other heirs who have a sibling or two including Marcus Flint, Daphne Greengrass, and Ernie McMillian but none of the families are large."

"The boy should have been in Slytherin!" declared Ironstream. "He worded the announcement perfectly to capture our attention."

Felicity shook her head, "No, account manager, the 'true' Slytherin hides in Hufflepuff."

"If the troll had broken free and killed several of the heirs, those vaults would have been sealed, the gold lost to investment," Ragnock stated.

The goblin peered at Sowsbreath again and asked, "How much damage would the loss of two or three of the families have done?"

"Gringotts will suffer a loss in revenue of 10% immediately and the percentage will increase over the years…"

"Yes, yes, but the heirs were not killed," Ironstream argued.

"This time!" Sowsbreath countered.

Ironstream continued, "Dumbledore must be made to understand the threat to Magical Britain if his games kill any of the heirs."

Ragnock shook his head, "Albus Dumbledore doesn't care if Gringotts threatens him; he believes he is untouchable. But perhaps we can impress upon him that Gringotts is displeased enough to freeze his vaults? Perhaps even demand an audit on all the accounts and vaults for Hogwarts."

Sowsbreath smiled, "An audit would be battle with the old wizard – if we reveal that he spent too many galleons on his robes rather than on more professors, the wizards would hang him from the battlements of the castle!"

"What do we demand of him?" asked Ironstream

"That he ceases these games and protects the children!" interjected Felicity. "He spouts drivel that Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain. Let's make him to live up to that claim."

"Yes," agreed Ragnock. "Dumbledore must be a proper headmaster."

"If he continues with these games and the heirs are killed, there'll be a terrible depression in Magical Britain," the elderly Sowsbreath confirmed. "There'd be no gold for investments, mortgages, government tax collection… Diagon Alley would fade away."

Ragnock sat in his comfortable chair for a moment before he waved his hand and other goblins appeared with chairs for his guests to sit in while they discussed a plan.

The director stated, "We can also bring pressure to bear against the Ministry but the wizards generally ignore us until something painful occurs. I hope to be able to reach an understanding with Dumbledore before we are forced to revolt."

Sowsbreath smiled, "A good insurrection would show the wizards how far they've fallen behind."

"And leave innocent goblins, wizards and witches dead or injured," Felicity said with a frown. "There's little long-term profit in death except for muggle undertakers!"

"True," Ragnock agreed. "Therefore, I shall issue an invitation to Headmaster Albus Wulfric Percival Brian Dumbledore to attend me on next Monday, 21 October, at nine o'clock, to discuss matters of great import for the security of the economy."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Chambers of the Bank Director 21 October

The group of goblins and the healer waited patiently, gathering at ten minutes before nine o'clock. Sowsbreath and Ironstream used the time to update the Bank Director on the progress among the dragons. The tiny goblin who announced visitors stood near the door, waiting for word that the headmaster had entered the building.

"Hagrid is able to communicate with the dragons fairly well now but they have not developed any skill with Garfish or English we had first hoped for," Ironstream admitted.

The account manager continued, "The giant insists that once Harry arrives for the summer vacation, he can teach the dragons using parse tongue."

"Does the boy know Garfish?" asked the director.

"Not yet sir, but he can learn with his 'babies' as he refers to the dragons in each letter," Felicity interjected into the conversation. "Would it be possible for him to have some books to study before summer?"

"No," Ironstream said. "We don't allow any written version of Garfish outside of the bank. Our language is an advantage we want to maintain against the wizards."

"And the boy's got enough to study already with magic lessons and now muggle lessons," Sowsbreath said. "We'll make Garfish a game for him and the dragons this summer."

"Very good," Ragnock agreed. After several more minutes of conversation, the director of the bank consulted a wrist watch and frowned.

"It is now fifteen minutes past the hour," the director said.

Sowsbreath shook his head and said, "I know Dumbledore pretends that his arrivals are important enough that he can be late and never questioned, but this is unacceptable…"

At thirty minutes past the hour, Ragnock surprized everyone with a new order. The director wasn't enraged; he appeared to be calm and pensive.

"Ironstream, go to the floo that is connected to the ministry department that deals with Gringotts. Tell that wizard… Dirks Halberstam… that this morning, Albus Dumbledore has insulted the Bank Director and all of Gringotts. I invoke the treaty to demand an emergency meeting with him."

"Make certain Halberstam understands that the only thing that stands between Magical Britain and a goblin rebellion is the immediate appearance of the Minister for Magic to meet with me. At the very least, I shall close the bank for a week!"

"At once, director!" the Potter account manager stated as he hurried to the floo in another office.

"Sowsbreath, floo the DMLE and invite Director Bones to attend me now as well. She doesn't need to fear a goblin rebellion but she should know I am very unhappy."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: More Snubs by Wizards

Felicity approached the desk of the director and asked, "Sir, would you really start a rebellion?"

The goblin grinned, displaying two rows of fangs, three of which were covered in gold, before explaining, "A rebellion would be bad for business but Magical Britain is a ship of fools with idiots like Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore at the helm. The ship will flounder at some point in the future."

"Dumbledore didn't appear for a meeting with the ruler of the goblin horde; worse he couldn't be bothered to send any sort of response. This is a card I can play to my advantage today and only see profit…"

The door of the office opened with Sowsbreath returning.

"Madam Bones will be here within the next five minutes, Director," the elderly goblin reported.

"Good," Ragnock said. "At least one person in the Ministry has some sense."

Felicity returned to her chair at some distance from the director's desk where she was joined by Sowsbreath. They waited quietly before Ironstream returned to the room accompanied by Madam Bones.

The goblin bowed and reported, "Director, I passed along your message with great urgency. The wizard Halberstam ran from his office to the Minister's office but I heard no confirmation that the minister would come to Gringotts."

The small goblin at the door stood tall and announced, "Madam Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE and Regent for House Bones comes before Ragnock Director of the Gringotts Bank and the Goblin Horde."

Now Amelia approached the desk of the Director, bowed as appropriate before the head of a 'friendly' foreign government.

"As requested, Director Ragnock, I have come. May I inquire as to the nature of our problem this morning?"

"You may," the goblin replied. "Gringotts is greatly concerned about the safety of several important heirs at Hogwarts. First there is a Cerberus in August and now a troll in October. These facts paint a picture of an unacceptable threat to important families with great wealth here in the bank."

"But I don't understand…"

Ragnock frowned and explained saying, "If your niece had been killed by the troll, the Bones estate would have locked down until either you bore a living child or another relative with the ability to produce a child was located and recognized by magic."

"Locked down?" Amelia asked. Even though she was regent, she depended upon the goblin account manager to maintain the businesses, rents, etc. that made up her niece's estate.

Ragnock nodded. "Do you remember the Selwyn family?"

Bones nodded as the goblin continued, "They were killed in a single night during the Deatheater Insurrection. We lost the whole of Cleansweep Brooms; the factory and shops shut down because the Selwyn family were the sole owners. Almost two hundred wizards and witches lost their livelihoods, Magical Britain lost a major export in the sporting brooms and children's brooms…"

Amelia Bones paused; she was no expert in economics but the Ministry had mourned the loss of revenue more than the loss of lives when the Selwyn family was wiped out.

"And Gringotts follows the treaty with the Ministry that once a family vault is sealed, it remains closed for a thousand years." The director paused for a moment and then added, "There are vaults that will be reopened in the next two years – a thousand years ago, the Vikings raided Britain and wiped out several magical families. Gringotts has guarded these vaults carefully and will reopen them for the ministry once the thousand years is passed."

There was a disturbance at the door, as the little goblin hurried inside, a grin of horrible fangs on display for all to see, as he announced, "The Undersecretary for the Minister for Magic has come to speak with you, Director Ragnock."

'_Oh no,'_ Amelia thought as she moved to intercept this witch before she could enter the Director's office but the door was thrown back, and two Aurors stormed into the chamber, without their wands drawn, but they scanned the assembled goblins, wizards and witches for threats.

"Aurors stand down!" commanded Bones as a short, rotund woman wearing pink robes followed the two wizards into the room. She was out of breath with the walk from the floo in another part of the bank but she made her displeasure known.

"Madam Bones… this is my security… detail," she wheezed. "I give… them… their orders…"

"No. They follow my standing orders to provide you with a security escort 'at' the ministry. Not at another location like this!" Bones growled and the two Aurors grew pale.

"We'll all be dead if you draw a wand anywhere in Gringotts. This is the office of the director and you'll start…"

"Nonsense," the woman said. Her breathing once again normal, the witch turned to the goblins and said, "I am Delores Umbridge, Undersecretary to Minister Cornelius Fudge. It is not your place to tell me…"

"Where is Fudge?" demanded Ironstream. "Gringotts called for the Minister for Magic to attend the director."

"The Minister has too many important duties to deal with vermin such as goblins."

The witch looked about the room and paused for a moment – there was gold leaf on the cornices, the chair behind the desk appeared to be made of solid gold, and the creature's robes did appear to be encrusted with rubies and diamonds.

Amelia stepped away from Delores and caught the eyes of the two Aurors. With a hand motion, she sent both of them to take positions at the back of the room and to remain silent.

"Madam Umbridge…" Amelia began.

"Why in Merlin's name are you here, Bones?" demanded the insufferable witch.

'_Why does Cornelius tolerate this woman…'_ Bones wondered.

Gritting her teeth, Amelia replied, "By the ministry's treaties with the Goblin Horde of Gringotts Bank, Director Ragnock can call for an emergency meeting with the Minister and the Director of the DMLE when actions of some wizard threaten the peace."

"Oh, I'm certain it's just a bit of indigestion on the part of the goblins," Delores replied, waving the goblin complaints away. "Cornelius was not at his desk when that horrid muggleborn came in, so I decided to use the floo and set the vermin straight."

"You're usurping the Minister's authority," warned the Director of the DMLE with her monocle twinkling dangerously. Her hand itched to draw her wand and curse the pink-robed idiot who was leading the ministry into a goblin rebellion, but the first rule when dealing with the goblins inside Gringotts was to never draw your wand unless invited to bring it forth.

The undersecretary's eyes narrowing and her tone growing cold, Delores continued, "As Undersecretary to Cornelius Fudge, it is my job to step in when the minister is indisposed."

"Vermin! You dare to call us 'vermin'?" roared the goblin behind the desk. "First Dumbledore insults me, then this toad in pink flounces into my office and calls me 'vermin' and questions my digestion!"

Delores turned toward the goblin behind the desk once again with a sour look on her face.

"Now see here, you cannot take that tone with me. I am Undersecretary…"

"Death take you!" screamed the little goblin who only moments before had announced the undersecretary. With a dagger in his hand, he leaped from the floor to the fat woman's chest, grabbed her hair and hacked off a lock of her stringy hair.

An ear-splitting scream left everyone in the room deafened for a long minute. Afraid for her life, Delores Umbridge grabbed the goblin sitting on her chest and threw the creature across the room and into another goblin guard knocking both of them into the wall and then to the floor.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" Delores screamed, pulling her wand from a pocket and casting a weak blasting spell that bounced off a shield that had been placed across the front of the director's desk. She continued screaming for her security team to kill the goblins while Amelia backed away and placed her hands on the two Aurors and forcing them to kneel on the floor where she joined them. The goblins knocked Delores to the floor where she continued to scream and wiggle.

"Say nothing! Do nothing!" Bones ordered the Aurors. "Umbridge just broke the treaty with the goblins and we can't do anything to help her!"

SCENE: Cornelius Arrives

"Dead or alive, sir?" Sowsbreath asked the furious Director. Ragnock stared at the toad-shaped woman who dared attempt an assassination.

Alive!" declared the director. "She'll scrub my chamber pot for the next fifty years! With her tongue! Twice a day!"

The door to the chamber opened once again, this time with Cornelius Fudge entering, his famous bowler hat in his hand.

"Good Merlin, whatever is the matter?" asked the Minister for Magic before he noticed his undersecretary, held on the floor by a dozen goblins, with razor sharp axes and knives threatening her head, arms, and well… everything.

"Save me, Cordie! Save me!" she screamed despite the axe-blade at her throat.

The wizard shuddered hearing the witch call him by that pet name. He glanced around the room noting the furious director of Gringotts bank seated on his throne made of gold, the other goblins and human employees of the bank who made no effort to help the witch, and finally the kneeling Aurors and Amelia Bones at the back of the chamber.

"FUDGE!" roared the goblin on the throne of gold.

'_Why does he get a throne of gold and all I get is a wooden chair?'_ Fudge wondered for a moment before the danger of the moment finally caught up with his brain.

"Director Ragnock, may your gold flow and your enemies…" Fudge cast his eye at the witch on the floor again for just a moment before he concluded, "…may your enemies lie prostrate at your feet."

Now Delores began to wail and Ironstream quickly cast a silencing spell on the woman. The goblins wrestled with the witch, trying to move her toward the door, but desperation and fear gave the toad a burst of strength and she again threw a goblin across the room. He landed on top of Sowsbreath, knocking the ancient goblin to the floor. A second goblin sailed through the air to land against the desk of the director.

"Alive!" commanded Ragnock as the remaining goblin guard began to pummel the witch with the ends of their spears. She was quickly subdued and fell unconscious; this allowed the goblins to drag her from the room without regard to the witch's modesty as her robes rode higher and higher on her hips. Thankfully she was quickly out of the room, leaving a few streaks on the floor that Ironstream banished with his wandless magic.

"Forgive me Director, but I must get this goblin to the infirmary," Felicity interrupted the goblins. "Sowsbreath has a concussion from hitting the wall."

Ragnock motioned the healer to draw her wand and levitate the injured goblin from the room. As Felicity left the chamber with the unconscious Sowsbreath, Ragnock found the other goblins thrown about by the witch determined to remain on duty despite bruises and one broken arm.

"I am speechless…" Fudge admitted once the room was calm and the doors closed once again.

"That woman said she represented you!" Ragnock snarled. "She insulted me! Denied the treaty that keeps peace between us and then that… that 'thing' attempted to assassinate me, the Director of Gringotts Bank and the Goblin Horde! In my own office!"

"She what?" Fudge squeaked before he fainted. Everyone stared for a moment and then the director took a deep breath.

"That makes two of the ministry officials on the floor before me in a single day," Ragnock said, mocking his enemies.

The director eyed Amelia Bones at the back of the room and shouted, "Bones, get up here!"

The Director of the DMLE shook off the pain in her knees from kneeling on the stone floor and staggered forward.

"Forgive me, director. I am not used to the stone floor…"

The goblin waved away her apology and pointed toward the Minister for Magic.

"Wake him up! Put him in a chair but I want him awake to hear my complaint!"

Amelia shook the wizard until he roused.

"What? Where?" Cornelius began to say but then remembered. Amelia motioned the Aurors forward to help her get the rotund man on his feet and into one of the chairs before the desk. The Aurors stood at attention behind the minister but the Director remained at his side, within close reach if she needed to silence him – if she was lucky, she might leave this chamber alive.

"Director Ragnock, I came the instant I heard of your call. I was indisposed for a time in the loo…" Cornelius admitted. "When I returned to my office, the man said you'd called on the floo and asked for an emergency meeting."

"Yes, and that woman came in your place!"

Glancing at Bones who shook her head slightly, the Minister sighed before he announced. "Madam Umbridge did not have any authority to represent me or the Ministry. She came here of her own design."

"And the guards she brought with her?"

"They are misinformed youngsters," Cornelius replied though the one Auror had grey hair.

"And her assassination attempt?"

"A moment of madness on the part of an overworked bureaucrat. I wash my hands of her," Fudge concluded.

Ragnock sat still for a moment and then announced, "Fudge, the reason I summoned you and Director Bones is to tell you that Gringotts has determined that there is a major threat to the welfare of Magical Britain."

"What threat?" asked the minister – his administration was built on a mentality of 'don't-rock-the-boat' and it didn't deal well with threats.

"You and your Wizengamot fellows allow Dumbledore to remain in control of Hogwarts. All the children of magical age attend his school where he has already had a Cerberus and now a troll loose. It isn't even Samhain yet!"

"A troll?" Fudge asked, again glancing at Bones who refused to look back. "And why does Gringotts care?"

"Fudge! There are many important heirs at Hogwarts now! Many of them are the only child in the family and if misfortune at the hands of a Dumbledore plot or scheme killed any of them, the family vaults are locked and the economy is hurt."

Fudge appeared to not hear the words the goblin was saying so Ragnock changed the message, "The collection of taxes will dry up and you'll be thrown out of office!"

Now, Fudge listened closely.

"If that troll had killed three or more of the children in that hallway, there'd be depression in Magical Britain's economy. Gringotts would close most of the counterspace and limit mortgages and business loans making the depression worse…"

Fumbling with the implications of the message, Fudge repeated, "I am confused why you called us here…"

Ragnock shook his head, "Minister Fudge, Headmaster Dumbledore has insulted me and all Gringotts. I issued a personal invitation to the headmaster to attend a private meeting with me this morning. We would have bargained for him to truly make Hogwarts safe and shown him the consequences of his failure to provide for the safety of all the children including the heirs."

"But the headmaster did not come to the meeting with the Director this morning. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge the written invitation," Ironstream explained.

For the first time Amelia Bones joined the conversation, "The headmaster is insufferably rude not to even acknowledge your kind invitation, Director Ragnock."

"Despite the interference of an idiot from the ministry, the minister and I both immediately responded to your request for a meeting," she said with a bow of her head. "We value the good services that Gringotts provides to all of Magical Britain."

"Then what will you do about Dumbledore?"

Fudge grimaced before admitting, "The headmaster is also the Grand Warlock of the Wizengamot and knows everyone's secrets. No one can oust him from power."

'_Except maybe death,' _three different persons all thought at exactly the same moment.

"So, you will not even try…"

We will try Director Ragnock," Amelia assured the goblin. "I have already forced him to reinstate two classes after the first of the year."

"Excellent," Fudge crowed. "See, we are forcing changes with the situation at the school."

The goblins fell silent and the two ministry officials assumed they'd made a good impression on their hosts.

"Bones, we must return to the ministry!" Fudge declared. "We must be ready for any emergency that arises!"

Restraining her snort, Amelia motioned the two Aurors to escort the minister back to the floo. She bowed to Ragnock once again and followed, reviewing the meeting in her mind and wondering how Dumbledore could be removed without the government of Cornelius Fudge falling.

The goblins remained unimpressed as the Director of the DMLE and the Minster for Magic with the two Aurors were escorted back the floo to the DMLE. Ironstream shook his head in disbelief and Ragnock sat back in his chair, his hand rubbing his brow as though to forestall a headache.

"What do we do?" Ragnock asked the account manager for the Potter vaults.

"We make new allies and we invest in the muggle world – the regular world, I believe Mr. Potter calls it."

"What allies?"

"Your friends from MI-5, sir."

SCENE: Fate of Goblintosser

Awakening in a cell, Delores Umbridge began screaming to be released.

"The Ministry will send Aurors to kill every goblin in London!"

She found a chamber pot in the corner and threw it against the door again and again until it was bent. The single torch on the wall sputtered and extinguished leaving her in darkness except for the light that came through the hole in the door of her cell. Exhausted and sore from the pummelling she'd been given by the goblin guards, she fell asleep again.

Much later, the sound of the door opening woke Delores. In front of her stood a goblin who barely reached her waist but the creature was armed with a sharp knife that gleamed in the light streaming through the door.

"Well witch, we have decided to name you 'Goblintosser' and put you to work in the mines with other prisoners," the creature said.

"No! Release me at once!" Delores demanded, her voice growing louder with each syllable. "I am Undersecretary Delores…"

"Whoever you were before today is of no importance," the goblin said as he cast a silencing spell and a spell to force the witch to her feet. "As of today, you are Goblintosser and until your sentence of ten years in the mines is complete, you belong to me."

"Now, enough time wasted with small talk," the goblin sneered. "You need to be in the mines digging for China."

The goblin noticed the strange look on the witch's face and he laughed, "No, we're not really digging tunnels to the other side of the world… that's just an expression we use because our need to dig tunnels never ends."


	25. Chapter 25

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Other guests arrive for meetings with the Director of the Bank. They find common ground and begin planning though some goblins fear that Gringotts is dealing with the devil.

Another letter stirs up the flames in Gringotts when Hedwig brings news of the attempt to get Harry's wand and the revelations by the ghosts. After the dragons hear this news, they send a gift to Harry.

Chapter 25: Dealing with the DevilSCENE: The Devil Comes to Gringotts

Once again, a group of goblins and wizards gathered in the office of Director Ragnock. This meeting was something different though with three unknown 'wizards' dressed entirely as muggles, without long hair, robes, hats, or jewellery. Felicity was pleased that her modified robes resembled the muggle clothing closer than the traditional robes worn by the clients who walked through the front door of the bank each day.

The wizards present were employees of Gringotts and they noticed that there no representatives of the Ministry for Magic attending this meeting.

"Account Managers, Healer, curse-breakers, goblins and wizards, Gringotts brings you into our confidence and reminds you that your employment contracts forbid you revealing any information that I designate as 'secret'," Ragnock announced from his throne behind his desk.

"Know that this meeting, the identities of our guests, and the memories to be shared, and the conversations to come, are all 'secret'. Reveal them to anyone not approved to know at the cost of losing your magic."

The gathered employees nodded in understanding; Felicity knew she could share information with Harry but she'd review the details with Ironstream before putting any information on paper. Sowsbreath cursed Bill Weasley's mother under his breath; if Bill was in Egypt, he would have called the curse-breaker back to London to attend. But the wizard's year in Iceland had months to go. When Bill returned, Sowsbreath could share the memory with the curse-breaker – if he passed his tests.

Ragnock nodded his own head in satisfaction and waved toward his two guests. "Allow me to introduce three new business associates of Gringotts Bank. First is Jasper Hewitt, Station Chief MI-5. He is Ravenclaw, graduating class of 71."

The first wizard stood and bowed to the assembled Gringotts staff before returning to his seat.

"Next is Mr. Andrew Lovett, Director MI-5. Mr Lovett is Slytherin, graduating class of '66."

The second wizard, with dark grey hair, was dressed neatly and impressed the goblins who were very particular about their waistcoats and the shine on their shoes. This man bowed, his eyes coldly examining each wizard in the room with more attention. Sowsbreath decided he would speak with this dangerous man today.

"And last, Mr. Cyrus Finch-Fletchley of Twiddle, Finch and Fletchley here in London. I believe you graduated from Cambridge in 1974, sir."

"That is correct, Director Ragnock," the muggle replied before returning to his chair.

Ironstream sat motionless; the director invited a muggle banker into Gringotts! This man – this muggle devil – was the father of Harry's classmate, Justin Finch-Fletchley. With a soft touch on his arm from the healer beside him, Ironstream remembered to close his mouth and survey the others in the classroom. None of the wizards were purebloods – only muggleborn and half-bloods here today.

'_The director planned carefully for this meeting,' _he realized.

"I suggest we begin by taking a deep breath and focusing our thoughts on the future," Ragnock said. He gazed around the room, catching eyes of many of his goblin and wizard employees before he continued, "Events in Magical Britain this summer and fall have concerned me about the future. Apparently, Her Majesty's government has similar concerns."

"I understand the Queen is concerned enough to demand in some quiet way that her government take steps to force some changes in Magical Britain."

The two wizards from MI5 were unable to keep their faces from reacting to the description of Her Majesty's discussions with Mr. Major described as 'quiet'. While the queen had focused her ire toward wizards and the sorry state of Her Ministry for Magic, none of the men and women in the meeting doubted the queen still welded power from the throne.

Goblins and wizards alike noted the expressions that drifted across the faces of the visitors and the director knew his guests agreed with this objective.

"We shall share a few memories and a few secrets before discussing plans."

Ragnock motioned toward a project pensive and Hewitt rose from his chair and drew out a memory capsule.

"In late summer, MI-5 was given an opportunity to take the 'temperature' of Magical Britain by the temporary placement of a knowledgeable wizard into Hogwarts for three months," the first visitor explained. "Remus Lupin is a post-curse werewolf…"

"What!" exclaimed Sowsbreath. "Werewolf! You put a werewolf in a school of children! Are you as daft as Dumbledore?"

"Lupin is a post-curse werewolf," the man stated with a smile.

"One of our first magical successes at MI-5 was helping the werewolves resolve their curse or 'illness'. Today, the pack uses an animagus methodology to convert their curse into an at-will transformation into a true wolf. Each full moon, they gather on an island, participate in hunting as a pack, and return to their lives and families the next morning."

"This is nonsense! You can't change a curse? How do you do this? What about the wild wolves who hunt children and muggles?" demanded different goblin and wizard voices.

"Silence!" Ragnock demanded and his employees fell silent under the weight of the director's command.

"Mr. Hewitt," Ragnock said, the heat evident in his voice. "I do not appreciate surprizes such as this claim of curing lycanthrope as your opening statement in our first meeting with my staff!"

"Forgive me," Hewitt said, bowing his head.

"Remember, I chop off the heads that offend me!"

Lovett rose from his seat and bowed, "Director Ragnock, it was at my direction that we chose to begin with the cure for lycanthrope. Her Majesty is very proud of the wolves who have become model citizens and we believe this sets a standard for all magical persons that we want to help."

"With a Royal Warrant, Her Majesty's armed forces eliminated all werewolves who refused to reform," added Hewitt.

"I want proof!" demanded a goblin. Sowsbreath came and knelt on one knee before the director. "Sir, please allow me and my staff of curse-breakers to see this…"

Ragnock waved the elderly goblin back to his seat beside the healer.

"Like the head of the curse-breakers, I want proof of this claim," Ragnock agreed. He turned to his staff and waved a hand before saying, "Sowsbreath select a team of two goblins and two wizards to meet with these werewolves at some point in next week."

To offer the goblins veracity of their claims, Lovett said, "We will arrange any meetings you wish tonight or tomorrow, Director. Do you have a list of names of known werewolves?"

Sowsbreath spoke up, "We do!"

Hewitt asked, "And have you had any reports of attacks or sightings lately?"

Sowsbreath hesitated for a moment before he admitted, "We have not had any reports of werewolf attacks or sightings of the creatures in many months."

Hewitt smiled. "We understand the Ministry of Magic will not release the information because it would mean a reduction in funding for a department that employees purebloods."

"Devils! All wizards are devils," cursed Sowsbreath.

*(+++++)*

Felicity Grossman sat back in her chair, remembering Remus Lupin from her years at Hogwarts. She'd been one year behind Lupin and in Hufflepuff but he'd been helpful with her papers in Herbology and Potions several times after he became a prefect. She frowned thinking about the wizards that Remus hung with – Potter, Black, and Pettigrew. Those three were bullies and almost predators with the younger girls.

'_If he was a werewolf all that time but never hurt anyone, I won't worry about him being around Harry,' _she decided._ 'And I'll make Sowsbreath share his findings with me.' _

*(+++++)*

Drawing everyone's attention once again, Jasper Hewitt continued with his presentation. "Mr. Lupin has made a favourable impression on the faculty and children in the last month, and he remains in communication with his boss."

Lovett dipped his head, acknowledging that he was the werewolf's boss.

"And the first memory he sent was of the sorting ceremony…"

Hewitt tapped the side of the projection pensive and everyone in the room sat through the unusual sorting and then the late-night conference in the headmaster's office.

"Young Harry's description of the sorting was very accurate though I agree with him that the choice of songs was very strange," Ironstream commented as Felicity struggled not to laugh at several points in the memory.

"Swedish? Really?"

*(+++++)*

Cyrus Finch-Fletchley kept his face passive after hearing his son described as a billionaire before he was thirty-five. And 'the most successful' dark something… Well bankers were often considered to be 'dark' by people without wealth.

'_Justin will have every advantage I can arrange!'_ Cyrus swore as he caught the eye of an ancient goblin across the room. The goblin's eyes narrowed just slightly and Cyrus dipped his chin slightly – they would have to talk about opportunities.

*(+++++)*

The second memory from Lupin was the confrontation with the troll on the third floor; Felicity noted that Remus was the teacher who moved the children to safety on the fourth floor while Ironstream watched with great interest as the group of children gathered on the edge of the fourth floor to cast spells to support their teachers holding back the troll.

*(+++++)*

Lovett stood and took Hewitt's place beside the pensive but he didn't share any memories. As a director of MI-5, he helped to set policy and he honestly reported that the agency wanted to protect the integrity of the kingdom while making certain each citizen had opportunities to improve their lives.

"For the last fifty years, when muggleborn wizards and witches graduate from Hogwarts they return to the 'real' world within a year and they come without marketable skills. The occasional half-blood makes it in Magical Britain if the magical side of his family has a business or large estate. Some young women marry into Magical Britain and they generally end contact with their families here within three years as children are born."

"These are free choices we believe," the man said. "Her Majesty's Government will never interfere in a free choice."

"The three muggleborn and four half-bloods in this room are the exception in Magical Britain. Gringotts is a good choice for the you, but what of your brothers and sisters?"

The wizards and goblins were impressed that the devil had details on their backgrounds; their allies were well-informed.

"We want muggleborns to leave Hogwarts with a better education and prepared to be better citizens in the United Kingdom. If Magical Britain closes their doors to these men and women – wizards and witches – we will open doors for them in universities and industry. They must always protect the statue of secrecy but there's no reason they cannot live in the regular world – the real world – and be successful."

"How will you accomplish this, sir?" asked Felicity. "After seven years at Hogwarts, many of us don't feel connected to the places where we were born."

"It is our intention to keep muggleborn students in touch with their regular studies by infecting Hogwarts with clubs for English, Maths, and Sciences. With the help of sympathetic professors, these clubs can even include half-bloods and purebloods."

"What professors are sympathetic to muggleborns?" asked Ironstream.

"First, Professor Babbage, the muggles studies professor has embraced the notion of muggle studies whole heartedly. She is sponsoring an English club."

"Second, Professor Sprout is a pureblood through and through, but she is not prejudiced against muggle methods in the greenhouse, fertilizers or plants. Muggleborns are protected and nurtured in her house."

"Third, Professor Flitwick experienced prejudice himself as a child at Hogwarts fifty years ago. Today, he champions his muggleborns and half-bloods proudly. He is sponsoring the Maths club."

"And last, in the most surprizing development, we have begun talks with Severus Snape to lead the Science club – we hope to fully corrupt him with a free potion lab and chemistry lab in the summers. If the premier potions master in Britain can be turned into a supporter of muggleborns receiving a better education, imagine what we can accomplish."

One half-blood frowned. "The headmaster will never agree to this. He'll obliviate everyone."

"We hope the clubs are so entrenched by the end of the current school year, that the headmaster won't be able to dislodge the clubs. Besides, if the muggleborns are 'happy' at Hogwarts, everything will continue as before which is Dumbledore's primary goal."

"What will the students learn in these clubs?" asked Felicity. "Where will they get books, study guides, and materials?"

"Her Majesty will donate educational materials that will be delivered directly to the Hogwarts library and into the care of Madam Pince. She is a Slytherin and values a true education for all the children regardless of their house."

Hewitt coughed and stood up. "There is another development."

Ragnock looked displeased and growled.

"Forgive me director, but this is not something that our department contrived or brought about, but we intend to take advantage of it."

"And what's this unexpected development?" Ragnock demand to know.

Hewitt grinned as he reported the news saying, "My office keeps in touch with every muggleborn that returns to the regular world. My contacts often work as tutors for other muggleborns and half-bloods. This fall, the tutors received letters from previous students that several sixth-year muggleborns will resign from Hogwarts at Christmas. They will change their focus to preparations for University admissions. The students passed their OWLs last spring so they aren't required to remain at Hogwarts."

"And we believe that the majority of the fifth-year muggleborns plan to leave after taking their exams and never return," added Lovett.

"Dumbledore can force the Wizengamot to change the laws to keep them in Hogwarts," said a muggleborn curse-breaker.

Shaking his head, a half-blood accounting wizard disagreed, "The purebloods will be glad they're gone. They don't like the muggleborns making higher test scores and putting purebloods in the shade."

"But eventually…"

"Yes, eventually the ministry will be concerned with the decline in muggleborn monies paying for Hogwarts," Hewitt agreed.

Ironstream and Sowsbreath exchanged glances with Cyrus Finch-Fletchley who again nodded.

Jumping into the conversation, Ironstream said, "I believe we can source donations to support Hogwarts as the student population changes due to changes in the population of the United Kingdom."

Cyrus grinned for a moment, displaying his teeth and earning similar grins from the two goblins across the room.

"What are you planning?" whispered Felicity into Ironstream's ear. "I can feel you and Sowsbreath both practically vibrating with excitement!"

"High finance," the goblin replied. "We're going to make a deal with the devil."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dragon Scales

When Hedwig flew into Gringotts, she flew down a hallway to an office where the door opened for her, giving her access to Felicity's examination room. The healer welcomed the owl and took Harry's letters before motioning Hedwig to an owl stand where water and treats waited. While she drank and ate, Felicity read Harry's letter about the confrontation with Dumbledore, and the historical revelations spreading through the castle about the Dark Lord known as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'.

Hedwig watched as the healer cursed and rose to take the letter to Ironstream. "Come along Hedwig, I'm certain this letter will infuriate Ironstream and Ragnock again."

In the office of the Potter Account Manager, Ironstream read the letter and then glanced at Hedwig.

"Miss Hedwig, did Dumbledore ever get his hands on the boy's wand?"

The owl shook her head back and forth to indicate that the headmaster had not. The goblin returned to the letter and laughed reading about the aftermath, "A white mouse? McGonagall was very unhappy if she managed to transfigure a full-grown wizard into a little mouse… And she kept him locked up for three days?"

Then Ironstream read the part of the letter about the revelations in the history class. He sat up in his chair, muttering to himself as he read the paragraphs several times. He stopped and looked at the owl again, wishing he could speak to her, when he asked, "And there were three ghosts in the classroom?"

Hedwig nodded emphatically.

"I must go to Ragnock with this news. There'll be blood on the floor of the ministry for certain once the purebloods hear that a mudblood fooled them all for so long…"

"Miss Hedwig, do you understand what a pensive is?"

The owl nodded her head once and the goblin continued, "I wonder if you can view my memory of a meeting with some gentlemen from the government… the muggle government? Since Harry can understand you very well, and you have good sense, it might be beneficial."

Ironstream opened a cabinet door and withdrew a pensive that he placed on his desk.

"I have stored the memory in this pensive and can start it with a tap of my knife. Watch it while I take a copy of Harry's latest letter to Director Ragnock."

The owl hooted and settled on the back of a chair where she could see the projection of the meeting with the men from MI5. Felicity returned to her office as Ironstream left with a copy of the letter. Hedwig quickly took control of the memory, using her wings to stop the memory, back it up and repeat certain portions, and then resume play. She tilted her head to change her view of the room, noticed twitches in different people at different times.

Hedwig was satisfied the men from MI-5 were fairly honest – they did want to help the muggleborn students. Justin's father appeared to be a muggle dark lord – that would benefit her boy and his friends immediately. And she continued her study of goblins – they were not humans and sometimes, their faces hid their true emotions very well. She would share this information with the dragons and she would carefully share portions of the information with Harry.

The owl decided that it would not do for a firstie to tell too many people what the future might hold for Hogwarts and Magical Britain as the muggleborns, interested half-bloods and stifled purebloods discovered they had options for their future.

*(+++++)*

Once she finished viewing the memory, Hedwig waited for fifteen minutes but the goblin didn't return to the office; Ragnock and Ironstream were meeting with several goblin and human employees – Gringotts defences were to be brought to full power, and they would send offers of refuge to wizards and witches who might be attacked during this period of unrest.

Restless, Hedwig made her way back to Felicity's office where the healer was excused from medical staff meetings to take the owl to the dragon pits.

With Hagrid and the four dragons listening carefully, Felicity read Harry's letter about the attempt to examine his wand, the headmaster's time in a glass bottle as a mouse, and then the revelations in the history class about the true origins of Tom Riddle. The dragons asked many questions and Hedwig answered each one with detailed hooting, chortling and even some flapping of her wings.

When she finished reading the letter, Felicity made a copy and enlarged it for the dragons to practice their reading. Then she stood in the very quiet nursery – Harry's letter left the dragons pensive and lost in thought. Hagrid sat beside Swampy and wrung his hands while worrying about little Harry in that far-away castle.

Stepping close to the owl, Felicity stroked Hedwig's feathers and whispered to the owl, "I know you will take care of our boy. Make certain he knows we all love him and want him safe! He's to stay away from Dumbledore, trolls and any other creatures that appear in that school."

As Hedwig prepared to return to the air, Felicity instructed the owl, "Tell Harry what you think is necessary and impress upon him how important it is that he keeps this to himself for now."

Hedwig's departure was delayed when Swampy coughed – a small flame broke through her snout and she dropped two dragon scales at Felicity's feet. The healer allowed them to cool for a moment before she picked them up.

"For Harry?" she asked and dragon nodded. The owl hooted with the dragon back and forth for another minute with some sort of instruction from the dragon.

Hagrid spoke up, "I don't know what Swampy said but it be important that Harry gets 'dem scales. Dragons don't drop scales except when needful."

Felicity untied the letter, opened the envelope, and added a postscript using a brio. Then she tucked the two dragon scales into the envelope and once again tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"Fly safe Hedwig. Make certain Harry reads the letter when he is alone."

As they watched the snowy owl fly away, Hagrid confided to Felicity, "I hope Harry can teach the babies to speak English next summer. Or that I learn parsel tongue. There's so much they want to say…"

*(+++++)*

SCENE: An Owl's Journey

Hedwig hooted for another a minute and the dragons each nodded in agreement with her message before she flew back up the passageway to the windows where she'd fly away from Diagon Alley.

After Hagrid and Felicity said their goodbyes, the healer also spoke to each dragon; one of Harry's letters told her how much the dragons enjoyed the attention of every person who visited.

Outside, the magical owl passed over the metropolis of London quickly without capturing the notice of any muggle, airplane, or other object. She made her way across the cities, towns, farms, and forests of England, crossed into Scotland and followed the west coast up the side of the kingdom before she flew across the rugged counties toward the hidden castle.

Her flight took most of the night because she didn't expend huge amounts of energy – with the threat to her boy, she had to conserve her magic to be able to help him if another troll appeared. Before dawn, she landed in a tall tree of the Forbidden Forest and during her wait for dawn, caught and feasted on one of the few Acromantulas left in the forest. The phoenix in the castle taught the owls how to catch the little spiders and devour the good parts.

Bacon and fresh mouse were better, but the spiders filled up the owls at night while they waited to fly into the castle. Before spring, there'd be no Acromantulas left in the Forbidden Forest.

Finally, the sun rose, later each morning this time of year, but the first rays of daylight triggered the owl windows in the wards around Hogwarts, letting all owls with newspapers, letters and packages enter the castle's Great Hall to find their witch or wizard.

*(+++++)*


	26. Chapter 26

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Hedwig brings Harry the dragon scales but he becomes upset at the thought of leaving his friends behind if another troll appeared. At the observances for Samhain, the poltergeist Peeves reappears for the first time since the sorting. Harry and Hedwig argue about the portkeys and Neville mentions using a method that will let everyone escape future trolls.

Chapter 26: Portkeys and Halloween

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dragon Scales

When Hedwig flew into the Great Hall with the letter for her boy, she settled far enough away to be able to deliver a message before she offered the envelop on her leg. Caught off guard by his familiar's instructions, Harry recovered and nodded his head in understanding. He didn't open the letter but slipped it into a pocket to read later in the day when he was alone.

After potions class, Justin went with a group to the library and Neville headed to the greenhouses to work on a project with Professor Lupin for extra credit. This was a perfect time for Harry to slip into their dormitory room, read his letter, and talk to his familiar.

Opening the envelope, Harry pulled out the letter and found the two dragon scales.

"Did these come from one of the babies?" he asked and Hedwig nodded.

She hooted and sounded stern so Harry immediately opened his trunk and secured the two scales in a hidden compartment. Then he read the letter that mentioned the meetings in Gringotts and that Hedwig would share information with him as she thought appropriate. And there was the mention of a 'gift' from the 'babies' without mentioning the words scales or dragons.

"Is it a big deal for a dragon to give someone a scale?" Harry asked. "They shed the scales, don't they?"

Hedwig hooted an explanation and Harry nodded, "Swampy says when scales that are gifted to someone, they contain great magical power. Scales that fall off can be used in potions but don't have extra power."

The owl continued to hoot and Harry's face grew even happier. "The scales are a portkey! They can pull me out of any dangerous spot in the castle! I got to buy Swampy her own sheep carcass for Yule!"

With instruction from Hedwig, Harry learned how to make the destination for the port key to be one foot above his mattress here in the dormitory room. After he pulled the scales from his trunk, cast the spell and tested it, he moved from near the door to above his mattress instantly.

He laughed when he dropped the single foot to bounce on his fluffy mattress, and grinned at his owl.

"How do I carry this around?" he asked but then another thought occurred to him – a terrible thought that made his eyes grow wide as he turned back to his familiar.

"What about my friends? I couldn't leave them behind to face another troll!" insisted Harry.

Hedwig tried to speak but Harry ignored his familiar as he listed his friends who needed dragon scales. "I have to have portkeys for Neville, Justin, Susan, Hannah, Sally, Ernie, Zach, Hermione, Padma… maybe Padma's sister. Everyone in my year in the 'puffs and 'claws!"

Hedwig ruffled her feathers indicating that she was irritated with her wizard.

"I'm sorry Hedwig," Harry said. "I just can't leave people behind and escape the danger."

Hedwig continued hooting and Harry agreed, "I can ask the babies at Christmas for more scales. Even if I have to pay for them, I will get enough, but I won't use this until everyone can be rescued from the next troll."

The owl was very unhappy as her boy put the dragon scales back into his trunk, rather than his pocket. She stomped back and forth on her stand for ten minutes and hissed but Harry ignored her and left for the library to work on homework with his friends.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Observances for Samhain/Halloween

It was Halloween! The students of Hogwarts spent the day dressed as witches and wizards as usual but with more jokes and treats to share at each class. Chocolate frogs remained a favourite and the boys from Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff gathered twice to watch Hedwig hunt and eat chocolate frogs. The witches from all houses stayed away from the exhibition of Hedwig's hunting techniques.

Dumbledore made his way from one part of the castle to the next, sharing best wishes for a happy Samhain while the pureblood students whispered explanations to the muggleborn that Samhain was the day to remember the dead and the end of the growing season, not to exchange best wishes.

At dinner that evening, many older students from pureblood families freely talked with muggleborns around the hall about the meaning of Halloween and Samhain. The new class for Magical Traditions beginning in January for all muggleborn students would explain many of the ceremonies and traditions.

"The treats we share today represent the gifts witches and wizards once left out for ghosts to leave houses and barns alone. Long ago people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts," Penelope Clearwater explained to the 'puffs and 'claws gathered at the end of one table.

"That's why muggles wear costumes today. It's in remembrance of the old times when they tried to hide from ghosts," agreed Hermione. "And the muggles used to do all the same things alongside the magical people."

"Really?" asked Penelope. "Why did everyone stop?"

"We'll ask Professor Binns in history class," Dora Tonks said. "He'll explain it to us."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: The Return of Peeves

During desserts, the ghosts of Hogwarts appeared from out of the stone walls and danced above the heads of the students seated at the long tables. There were many more ghosts than usual for a meal – almost thirty ghosts of wizards and witches paired up and danced around the ceiling of the Great Hall.

"I don't hear any music," Justin observed. "Maybe they hear a song we can't hear."

All the students looked for a ghost playing an instrument or strained their ears for the faintest strains of music; the great hall was exceptionally subdued for a major feast. From the staff table, Remus Lupin announced, "Students, if you will look just at the top of the door, you'll see the source of the music that the ghosts hear."

Every student and adult looked above the door where they saw the faint image of Peeves, the poltergeist, playing a guitar. As his image grew denser, the faint strains of the dance could be heard. As they completed their Halloween dessert, the poltergeist had fully manifested after his month of rest. Now he began a new dance and sang along.

The poltergeist's voice was full of feeling as he sang the traditional English folksong 'Scarborough Fair' and played the tune on the guitar. All the while, the ghosts moved through a graceful dance of slow joining of hands and gliding around across the ceiling in time to the song. At the end of the song, Peeves paused for a moment.

Harry didn't know if he was first or not but it seemed every student in Hogwarts was suddenly on their feet applauding the performance with shouts of 'Hurrah!' and 'Encore!' for the mischievous spirit.

With his usual timing, Dumbledore rose from his chair to address the students, but everyone ignored him and continued to call for an encore. The headmaster looked at his staff for support but found none – Minerva, Pomona, Troutman, and Lupin had joined the students in their calls for an encore so Albus sat down and pretended to enjoy the performance.

From atop the door, Peeves shouted out, "Only if you sing with me!"

"Yes!" "Sure!" "Greensleeves!" were the replies shouted by the students. Now the Bloody Baron approached the poltergeist and Dumbledore expected the tough ghost to chide the poltergeist for his outlandish display and undignified behaviour, but instead, the baron enthusiastically endorsed the request for 'Greensleeves'.

Peeves began to play the song on his guitar and across the wall above his head, the words to the song began streaming so the children could sing as well.

Minerva, Pomona, and Flitwick watched in amazement as the Bloody Baron approached the ghost everyone called the 'Grey Lady'. He bowed and offered his hand before she curtseyed and allowed him to lead her into the centre of the room where they began a dance from the court of Queen Elizabeth I, four hundred years in the past.

"She's not spoken to him in centuries," Minerva whispered. "Tonight, perhaps..."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Elves!

The next day, Harry and Hedwig continued their argument – he wanted to give the port key to Sally Anne Perks or Hermione Granger, while the owl was adamant that her boy keep both scales on his person at all times. They tried to argue only when they were alone but Justin and Neville realized that something was wrong when Hedwig didn't go with them to history class.

When they returned to their dormitory before supper, Justin asked, "Harry, are you mad at Miss Hedwig?"

The boy who lived sighed and said, "We're arguing about something, that's all."

"Arguing with your familiar?" asked Neville. "That can't be good."

Harry closed the door to the dormitory and explained, "Hedwig brought back something from Gringotts that would… it's a portkey that will bring me back to the dormitory if we run into another troll."

"That's great, Harry," Neville said.

"But I told Hedwig I wouldn't leave my friends behind," Harry insisted. "How can I go be safe but leave everyone else behind?"

"That's very Gryffindor of you," Justin said. "A Slytherin wouldn't think twice about leaving everyone behind."

"No, I think some Slytherins would take their friends with them," Neville argued. "Greengrass, Davis, and Nott seem to be making real friends with other people and they'd help their 'em."

"So, what do we do?" asked Harry.

Neville grimaced and admitted, "I know a way we could get away from any troll and get everyone to safety."

"You do?" asked Justin. Then the muggleborn wizard grimaced and shook his head before saying, "Of course, you do… you know everything and we just have to learn to ask you the right question!"

Neville blushed to hear praise but didn't say anything else.

"What is it?" Harry asked. "What's the way to save everybody?"

"House elves," Neville explained. "We ask the house elves for help."

"The elves?" asked Harry.

"What are house elves?" asked Justin at the same time.

"Can I have an elf please?" Neville asked out loud to no one but instantly, there was a slight 'pop', and a little creature appeared before the three firsties. It was very short, had big ears and a long nose; and it was almost green in colour and dressed in a very clean pillow case.

"What's can Kandy do for Badger boys?" she asked in a high-pitched voice that for the moment was very pleasant.

"Kandy, my friends are Harry Potter and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin's never met a house elf before."

Neville explained more, "House elves take care of many wizard families. They clean the house, cook the food, wash the dishes, and make the beds."

The little elf nodded and grew excited as she added, "We also plants the gardens, paints the houses, washes windows, sweepes the floors…"

"That's a lot of work," Harry agreed. "But I met elves at Gringotts. They're really great and very powerful magically."

"Mr Plants is good wizard," the elf said but she stayed close to Neville and only glanced at the other boys.

When Neville asked if she was afraid, the little elf squeaked out, "Mr Speaker is scary strong and Mr Galleons to grows to be a dark-lord."

Harry and Justin exchanged glances and laughed. The elf shuddered but glanced again at the two dangerous wizards. Neville got down on one knee beside the elf to say, "Kandy, Mr Speaker is a good friend and Mr Galleons is very smart. They will not hurt you or any other elf."

The little elf nodded vigorously, though she didn't step away from Neville's side.

"We're scared Kandy," Harry explained. "The headmaster had a troll in the castle and it almost got free."

Nodding her head, the elf said, "Trolls be bad and Mr Whiskers knows this but he's not listening to head elf's who begs him to put troll away."

"Whiskers?" asked Justin. "Oh, Dumbledore's long beard makes him 'whiskers' to the little fellows."

Neville laughed. "Elves always name wizards and witches something. I've always been 'Master Plant' or something similar to our elves at home."

Harry and Justin both noticed that their friend didn't volunteer what the elves named his grandmother.

"Kandy, can the elves pop us away from danger in the castle?" Harry asked.

The little elf teared and began to cry as she explained, "Mr Whiskers orders elves to never, never pops any childrens or growns-up wizards and witches around Hoggiewarts."

"Why would he…" wondered Neville,

But Justin figured it out instantly and explained, "The Weasley twins… if the elves helped them, no one would be safe from jinxes anywhere in the castle."

Harry looked at Neville and asked, "You've got elves at home?"

The 'puff nodded and Harry continued, "Could they come and pop us away from danger here in the castle?"

Now Neville looked away and shook his head. "My gran… told the elves not to listen for me while I was at school. She thought I would have them bring me too many snacks or things…"

"Does Mr Plant need snacks?" asked Kandy. "Kandy always has snacks for students in 'puffs ready!"

The little elf popped away and then returned within seconds bearing a tray of sliced fruit and biscuits that she sat on a table for the boys.

"Gringotts has elves but they're far away and aren't really mine," Harry said. "I wish I had elves."

"You does have elves, Mr Speaker!" Kandy announced. "They's be here at Hoggiewarts since bad, bad fire in summer but can't's appear to you until you call them!"

"How do I call them?" Harry asked instantly.

"Says 'Potters elves to me,' and theys come," the elf explained.

Glancing at Justin and at Neville who both nodded enthusiastically, Harry spoke aloud saying, "Potter elves to me."

Immediately, there were pops in the room as six elves appeared and cried as they each hugged Harry's legs.

One elf cried and begged forgiveness. "Elves be bad! We didn't see Master Speaker for years! We didn't know to look for youse. Then you appears this summer but we must waits for you to calls. When fires be at Hoggiewarts, we comes to help with flames! Elves killed by flames!"

Hedwig began hooting loudly and the boys and elves turned toward her where she sat on the back of a chair.

"Yes, Missy Feathers, Potter elves help Hoggiewarts elves with flames and repairs and students and cleanings and foodies," explained one of the elves. "We hear cry for help from elves and comes to help."

"What's your name?" Harry asked this first elf.

"I be's Apollo. Mistress Lily gives all elves new names when she marries Master James." The elf pointed to each of the other elves and named them, "This be Juno, Neptune, Ares, Venus, and Mercury."

"I like those names," Harry said. "Do you like them?"

The elves nodded vigorously and finally Harry asked, "Now, can you help me?"

"Yes, Mr Master Harry Potters," replied Apollo. "What's you need?"

"When you pop from one location to another, can you take a student with you?"

Apollo nodded, "All Potter elves train to take two grown wizards away from battles so we can takes four childrens each easy but only inside Hoggiewarts."

"There are six of you and only sixteen kids in our first year in the 'claws and 'puffs so we can be popped away from the next troll," Harry said. "If any of my friends are in danger from trolls, giant dogs…"

"…or angry headmasters!" interjected Justin.

Nodding his head, Harry added, "Or angry headmasters, you are to pop them here and make certain they are safe."

"Bring thems all here's, Mr Master Harry Potters?" asked Apollo, looking around the dormitory room.

"How about popping each student to their own dorm room?" suggested Neville.

"It'll take a while to get all the kinks worked out," Justin added. "Once we work out which elf picks up which kids, we'll need to practice an escape."

"Like a fire drill at school?" asked Harry, nodding in agreement.

"Exactly!"

"What's a fire drill?" asked Neville. Muggles had many strange words to learn.

"Potter elves be good fighting fires!" Apollo insisted as the other elves nodded their heads.

"A fire drill is when you practice what to do in case of a fire or other emergency while you are at school. It's to let you know where to go, what to do if a fire breaks out in your school," Harry explained and Neville nodded in understanding. "But we won't have a real fire when we practice."

The six Potter elves each continued to take turns hugging Harry's legs, and Kandy smiled as the elves strengthened their bonds with their young master.

*(+++++)*

As the other elves popped away to return to their tasks in the castle, and the boys left for dinner in the Great Hall, Hedwig hooted to tell Harry she'd join him later. Laughing with Neville and Justin about solving their problem, Harry nodded and hurried from the room.

Once the door was closed, Hedwig hooted once and Apollo reappeared to bow before the owl.

"Missy Feathers Hedwig Snowy Owl calls for Apollo?"

For twenty minutes Hedwig hooted and the elf responded with hoots and chortles in owl. Both creatures used their appendages to expand their conversation though the elf couldn't rotate his head as far around as Hedwig. When the elf left the room, Hedwig had a more complete story about the foray into Hogwarts by the Potter elves.

*(+++++)*


	27. Chapter 27

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Okay, this chapter took on a life of its own – I think it is house elf magic or something. The Potter elves work with the children on how to 'rescue' them and then Harry learns about the Potter heirlooms the elves rescued from the headmaster's office during the fire.

Chapter 27 Fire Drills

*(+++++)*

SCENE: What Are House Elves?

Harry, Justin, and Neville whispered back and forth on the way to dinner but kept the idea of using house elves to escape the next troll a secret through the entire meal. Susan wondered what the three were whispering about but figured it was just some boy thing. None of the other boys noticed or would have cared if they had noticed.

Hermione Granger and Padma Patil noticed; consequently, the two young witches began their own whispered conversation that led to giggles and looks of interest from the other girls and the boys in Ravenclaw.

*(+++++)*

In the library after dinner as the two groups of children began gathering information for an assignment in history class, Harry approached Susan with the idea of using elves to pop them to safety.

"House elves?" the girl declared in a loud voice that brought Madam Pence over to scold them both.

"Yes, ma'am," Susan and Harry responded as they promised to be quiet while around them the other 'puffs smirked but continued their homework.

At the table with the 'claws, Hermione turned to Padma and asked, "What are house elves?"

Only a minute later, a second loud eruption, this time from the 'claws, got both groups banned from the library for the rest of the evening. Neville checked out the book they needed to write the essay so the 'puffs and 'claws exited the library and moved to a nearby, deserted classroom.

"Okay, everyone," Harry said, taking over leadership for the moment.

Zach sighed with boredom and moved toward the door as he announced, "I'm going back to the dorm."

He looked at Hannah and said, "Abbot, make notes for me."

"Make notes yourself, Smith!" the girl replied. The boy quickly disappeared and the others exchanged glances.

"Honestly, I think one morning he'll order someone to shovel food into his mouth because he's too lazy to feed himself!" Hannah said, crossing her arms, determined not to follow Zach Smith's lead on anything.

With a determined look on her face, Hermione asked, "Harry, what are house elves?"

Grinning, Harry called for Apollo to appear in the room. The muggleborns had lots of questions and even the purebloods without large homes asked about the 'creature'.

"Apollo isn't a creature!" Harry insisted. "He's a magical person and he has feelings so don't talk about him like that!"

"Is he a slave?" Hermione asked. "Slavery is wrong!"

"Hold on, Granger," replied Justin. "Let's find out more before we apply the standards of our world to the house elves."

Harry wished Hedwig was there in the room, and with a 'pop', a second elf appeared in the room with the owl. Harry was pleased that he recognized this elf and remembered his name was Ares.

"How did they do that?" the muggleborn girl asked, pointing to the elf and owl.

"I wished Hedwig was here; she 'heard' me like a good familiar, so Ares popped her here to join us," Harry explained.

Hedwig flew around the room and set protections for the lecture to come. She settled on a table and hooted to Harry who translated, "Hermione, Hedwig wants you to ask Professor Binns for a history of house elves and the properties of the bond between the elf and the wizard in our next history class."

Hermione glanced at the owl who stared back, and the girl nodded her head in understanding. Hedwig proceeded to give Harry additional instructions and the boy obviously wanted to argue but knew not to in front of the other students.

"These house elves have agreed to help us if there's another troll or other danger while we're at Hogwarts," Harry explained as Apollo called the remaining Potter elves to appear. The boy-who-lived introduced each elf by name. Then he explained that the elves would come to the students and 'pop' them back to their dorm room in an instant.

"Does it hurt to be popped like that?" asked Sally Anne Perks.

"I don't know," Harry replied as Hedwig chortled. He translated the bird's answer with a smile, "Hedwig says that it tickled and she liked it."

Padma spoke up, "And your plan, Harry? The elves will pop us out of danger and back to our dorm rooms… what do we say to get them to come to us? Which student does which elf take?"

"We're going to do what's called 'fire drills'," Justin said. "We'll practice getting picked up by the elves and dropped onto the bed in our room."

Hermione and Susan both nodded with the notion of a 'fire drill' while Justin assured Hannah and Erie that there was no actual fire involved. Neville's endorsement of the plan brought the other purebloods into complete agreement.

Ernie's face was thoughtful. "So, elves can be trained to pop wizards around… How far can they travel?"

"I don't know. We'll have to experiment and find out," agreed Harry.

"With a professor! We have to have a professor to supervise any experiments!" insisted Hermione with Padma and Michael Corner nodding in agreement. "Someone could end up in pieces spread across England…"

The elves looked horrified at the notion they'd allow a wizard or with to be harmed but remained silent and determined to prove to this young witch that house elves took good care of their wizard or witch.

"Which professor do we ask?" asked Harry.

"Professor Moody!" Neville declared. "This is a defence tactic!"

"Well, tonight I want to practice!" Justin declared bravely. Everyone watched as Apollo popped Justin back to the dorm room and then returned with the boy.

"It does tickle, just like Miss Hedwig said!" he announced.

"Me next! Me next!" Susan said as Venus took her hand.

The girl popped away and then returned with a grin on her face. "It's great! We won't get caught by trolls now!"

For the next five minutes each child was popped to their dormitory room and then back to the deserted classroom. After the practice 'pops', Hedwig hooted and Harry translated her question, "Hedwig wants to know if the elves are tired. If this is using too much magic."

The children turned to the elves and Apollo explained, "We be's grown elf and have powerful, powerful Mr Master Harry Potter to fill us with magics. Potter elves can pop all night longs."

"Okay, none of the elves are tired but I am," replied Harry stretching, followed by a yawn. "Let's call it a night."

The elves quickly popped each of the children back to their dorm rooms though Zach Smith ran screaming from the room he shared with the other 'puff boys when his two roommates suddenly popped into the room.

"How did you do that?" he demanded to know when he'd calmed down and the prefects laughed at his complaint.

"Magic," replied Ernie.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Potter Heirlooms and Memories

Back in their dormitory room, Harry, Neville and Justin put away their school books and removed their outer robes. While Neville stepped into the ensuite to shower, Justin settled on his bed to write a letter to his parents.

Hedwig and Harry settled on her perch while Harry gathered his pyjamas and dressing gown – he would be second into the shower that night. Hedwig hooted quietly as she set up a silencing spell and then called for Harry's attention.

"Yes, Hedwig?" asked Harry. "Been an interesting day, hasn't it?"

The owl chortled and the boy placed his night clothes on the bed to give his familiar his full attention. She hooted and chortled for several minutes with a few motions of her wings.

"What heirlooms?" he asked as the owl explained. Then he motioned toward Justin on his bed and toward Neville who just emerged with his hair still damp.

"I want to know what they think," he insisted as the owl lifted her left wing and cancelled the silencing spell.

"Damn!" Justin cursed. "The owl can cast spells too!"

Neville snorted and put away his shower caddy. "Justin, we figured that out last week, remember?"

"Just didn't want to give away 'our' secrets," the muggleborn explained.

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and hooted, making Harry smile. "She is surprized but pleased that you are observant."

"Now, what's the new secret?" asked Justin.

*(+++++)*

It took a full minute for Harry to collect himself and stammer, "Apparently, the headmaster collected… some of… took some of the Potter heirlooms from Godric's Hollow after… after they… they were killed that year."

Knowing it was hard for her boy to talk about the death of the Potters, Hedwig flew down and sat on his shoulder, preening his hair.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Justin said but the boy-who-lived shook his head and continued.

"When the fire broke out here in Hogwarts, the Potter elves came to help save the castle. They were working with the other elves but then 'felt' there were things hidden in the headmaster's office that belonged to the Potters… to my family."

"Didn't the fire spread to the headmaster's office?" asked Neville.

"Yes, and I think my elves took the fire there," Harry admitted. "After fighting the fire, Apollo and the other elves went into the headmaster's office and found the things that belonged to me. The phoenix was there and my elves asked her what to do, and Fawkes told them take the heirlooms and hide them until they could be returned to me. Then she told them to bring fire to the room so she could hide the fact that the heirlooms were gone."

Harry pointed toward his owl and continued, "Apollo told Hedwig that Fawkes rolled around in the fire, spread ashes everywhere, and made it look like these things were destroyed in the fire. Then Fawkes carried the fire on her wings into the headmaster's bedroom to burn his awful robes."

"What did the elves find that belonged to you?" asked Neville

"There were a lot of books, a pensive, and a cloak."

"Why would the headmaster take these things?" asked Justin.

Hedwig hooted and ruffled her feathers. Harry translated his familiar's words as, "He's a thief."

Again, Hedwig hooted and the Potter elves appeared loaded down with the items they had recovered. Harry and his two friends looked at the books first – there were titles on wards, potions, charms, and one especially large book with the title 'Dark and Light Arts for Defence', scattered among generic titles for household charms and the Potter family grimoire.

Neville said, "These are valuable, Harry. Send them to your guardian and ask her to put them into a secure trunk until you have time to read them. It'll be a couple years before we need them."

"Yeah, don't let Granger get hold of them," Justin quipped. "At least not until I get the chance to read them."

Hedwig hooted and Apollo stepped forward with a large ceramic dish with many runes around the outside.

"This be's a pensive, Mr. Master Harry Potter," the elf said. "It be's full of memories from Mr. Whiskers and many peoples he takes memories from."

"Ugh," Harry said. He glanced up at Hedwig who hooted many instructions and the boy nodded. "Hedwig says that the pensive needs to go to Felicity at Gringotts too."

Now Juno approached with a plainly wrapped package that she shyly handed to her young master. He smiled and thanked the elf before he untied the string, to find a shimmering, silver cloak.

"What is that, Harry?" asked Justin.

"It looks like a magic cloak that makes you invisible," Neville said. "I've heard about them but never seen one."

"Try it on Harry!" Justin suggested excitedly.

Whirling the cloak above his head and then down over his shoulders, every part of Harry disappeared except for this head. Then he flipped the hood up and his head disappeared as well.

"Potter, you've never looked better!" declared Neville as Justin snickered.

"Did it work?" asked Harry's voice.

"Yes, you're invisible!" Justin confirmed.

Hedwig landed on the floor beside Harry and hooted. Harry reappeared and dropped the cloak over the owl who disappeared. A minute later, Hedwig to reappeared atop Harry's bed with the cloak at her feet.

"You can fly with the cloak!" Harry confirmed. "When we need a spy, you'll be able to fly around without anyone seeing you!"

"Do you want to keep that cloak here?" asked Justin. "We can get into some…"

Hedwig hooted and ruffled her feathers while glaring at he the boy. Harry, Neville and Justin grinned seeing the owl's expression.

"Alight, alright, don't get your feathers all in a bunch," Justin said with a light tone to his voice. "I just thought we could have some fun."

"Do you speak owl now, Justin?" Neville asked.

"No, but I've seen that look on my Mum's face when she catches me planning some mischief. It's easy to translate Miss Hedwig's orders."

Harry sat down to write a long letter to Felicity about the books, pensive and the cloak. While he was writing and discussing each paragraph with Hedwig, Justin went ahead and took his shower and dressed for bed.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Leverage and Deathly Hollows

While Harry showered, Neville and Justin read the letter. When they were finished, Justin looked at Hedwig and made a suggestion.

"Miss Hedwig, if the pensive is full of memories from the headmaster and from other people, they might be valuable in the future. If the goblins can view them and catalogue the memories, it might give Harry 'leverage' someday."

"What's leverage?" asked Neville as the owl listened closely.

"Well, it's like having information about someone that they don't want you to have…"

"Oh, you mean blackmail!" Neville exclaimed. "We have that in the magical world."

Hedwig nodded and flew to Justin's shoulder where she preened Justin's hair and coo'ed in his ear for a minute.

"I think Miss Hedwig likes your idea," Neville said.

"What idea?" asked Harry returning from his turn in the shower. After explaining Justin's idea, the letter was expanded with the request for the goblins to view and catalogue the memories in the pensive.

"So, how do we get these things to Healer Grossman at Gringotts?" asked Justin. "We can't shrink them and put them into an envelope. That's a sixth-year spell."

"The elves can carry them to Gringotts," Neville said.

Harry nodded as he folded up the letter. Hedwig hooted at Apollo who snapped his fingers and gave Harry a list of the books by title, the make and model of the pensive, and the label 'Deathly Hollow' for the cloak.

"What is this?" asked Harry reading the list.

"Venus is bestest with quill and she mades list of all items we takes back from Mr. Whiskers," the elf explained.

"But what's a 'Deathly Hollow'?" Harry asked, pointing at the last item on the list.

"It's be one of three things that will make Mr. Master Harry Potters the master of death," Apollo explained. "It's be part of being Great Speaker."

Harry, Neville, and Justin were confused but Hedwig actually fainted. Fortunately Harry caught her before she hit the floor of the room from atop his bed. The little house elves chattered nervously as Harry fanned Hedwig to wake her from her faint.

"Apollo, can you take all these items to Gringotts tonight? Give them to my guardian! Her name is Felicity Grossman and she's a healer who lives in the bank," asked Harry as Hedwig recovered, shaking her head slowly.

"Yes, Mr Master Harry Potters, sir," Apollo said. "Venus and Apollo takes books. Neptune and Ares takes the cloak. And Mercury and Juno takes the pensive."

"Does it take all of you to carry them that far?"

"No, Mr Master Harry Potters, sir, but we's all needs to know Miss Healer Felicity Grossman's magic to go to her fastest."

"Okay," Harry said as he returned Hedwig to her perch where the owl drank some water and ate some treats.

The Potter elves took the letter and the heirlooms with them when they popped out. Justin helped Neville to his feet and Kandy appeared with a tray bearing three cups of hot chocolate in one hand and a dead mouse dangling in the other hand.

"Boys and owl has night-time snack and then sleeps. Enough excitement for one nights!" the little Hogwarts elf declared.

*(+++++)*

This chapter wrote itself.


	28. Chapter 28

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The delivery of the Potter heirlooms to Gringotts sets off another firestorm – Felicity and Ironstream argue about the memories in the pensive but Ragnock and Sowsbreath come up with a plan.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 28 Ragnock's New Normal

*(+++++)*

SCENE: New Normal at Gringotts

An elf popped into Ironstream's office as soon as he sat at his desk. The goblin stared at the elf – Happy, if he remembered correctly – was assigned to the hospital department at Gringotts. For a moment, he reviewed all the arguments fifty years ago when Gringotts began a medical service for the human employees and the fuss by traditional goblins against offering services to the bank's wizards and witches.

Their opinions changed after three severely injured curse-breakers were turned away from Saint Mungo's because several purebloods were suffering from sniffles that day. The bank's profits were impacted by the death of one of the wizards and the slower than normal recovery period for the other two wizards.

"Goblin Irons comes with me to Healer Grosses office now!" the elf demanded.

"What is the problem, Happy?"

"Healer Grosses needs Irons to help with powerfulness heirlooms of Mr Harry Potters!" replied the elf.

'_Heirlooms?'_ wondered the goblin who rose from his desk and followed the little elf through the busy hallways of the bank as goblins and wizards set about their daily tasks.

In the healer's private quarters, Ironstream found the witch examining a large pile of books, a large projection pensive, and a shiny cloak that she draped over her shoulders before her entire body disappeared.

"There's a letter," she said in greeting and pointed to her desk where Ironstream found the latest news from Hogwarts. The cloak had caught the healer's complete attention.

"We must catalogue each of Harry's letters," Ironstream said before he began reading. "He can publish a book after he graduates and make a fortune with the wild adventures…"

The floating head of the healer frowned and replied, "I would be much happier if he didn't have so many adventures – in the first six weeks of his education at Hogwarts! It's not December and we've had trolls…"

"I agree," the goblin interrupted the witch and turned to the letter.

Flipping the hood over her head, Felicity vanished from the room for a moment before reappearing in front of the mirror as she removed the cloak and carefully folded it into a small handful of material that could vanish into any pocket with ease.

Ironstream sighed and rubbed his temple while Felicity pulled a potion bottle labelled 'Calm Goblin' from her pocket and handed it to the Potter account manager.

"Not this early in the day," he replied as he waved the potion away.

"We must go to Ragnock now…" he said. Then he paused and referred back to the letter before stating, "Harry's got elves."

Felicity grinned, "You know Harry, he makes friends of dragons and owls and goblins. Why shouldn't he make friends with elves?"

"No, I mean 'Potter Elves', from his legacy as the heir of the Potters," Ironstream explained.

"I don't know…" Felicity began to say then she called for Happy. The little Gringotts elf appeared in the healer's room instantly – she been there all the while.

"Yes, Missy Healer Felicities?"

"Did you meet the elves that brought these items to my room last night?"

"Yes, Missy Healer Felicities. We always meets new elves when they comes so they know where vaults and peoples are."

"Why did Harry use elves to bring these things?"

"Elves comes to find Missy Healer Felicities so they can comes back fastest when they needs to talks to you or brings you things from Mr. Harry Potters."

The goblin nodded and referred to the letter, "See if you can call 'Apollo'. He's the one Harry mentions the most."

"Apollo, I need to speak to you," Felicity announced; she'd dealt with Gringotts elves for years and was pleased when the little fellow popped into the room almost instantly.

"That was a fast trip down from Scotland," Ironstream stated and the elf nodded.

"Our master, wonderful Mr Harry Potters is great powerfuls," the elf bragged and thumped his chest. "All Potter elves strong now!"

"Hello, Apollo. How is Harry this morning?"

The elf bowed before the healer and reported, "Mr Harry Potters and Missy Hedwig Snowy Owl drinks potions and eats breakfasts in Greatest Hall with the other little badgers and ravens this morning. They have transfiguration with Miss Kitty and then DADA with Mr Wildeyes."

In the next few minutes, with suitable prompting questions, the elf explained how all the Potter elves went to Hogwarts back on 1 August to fight the fire, and in the confusion that day, they felt, found, and rescued the Potter family heirlooms.

"And who did you talk to about this?" asked Ironstream.

"Missy Fawkes Phoenix tells elves to take Potters books, Potters memory bucket, and Deathly Hallow cloak to hide untils we meets Mr Harry Potter. We takes lots and lots of books back to libraires."

"And the phoenix?" asked Ironstream. "Did she help you?"

"She's askes elves to bring fires to her in Whisker's office. She spreads it with her wings and makes lots of ashes to be the things we hides," Apollo reported. "She laughs and sings the whole times!"

"Who knows that Harry has these family heirlooms?" the Potter account manager asked.

Counting on his fingers, Apollo replied, "Miss Hedwig Snowy Owl fussed but Mr. Harry Potters tells Mr. Plants and Mr Galleons about heirlooms. Mr Plant suggests to send items to Missy Healer Felicities and Mr Galleons says that goblins should cats… cata…"

"Catalogue?" offered Felicity when Apollo struggled with the word.

"Yes," Apollo replied, his head moving up and down in agreement. "Cataslogues the memories of Mr Whiskers so Mr Harry Potters has blacksmail on thiefs."

"Thief?" asked Ironstream – all goblins feared and hated anyone labelled a thief.

"Missy Hedwig Snowy Owl names Whiskers as thiefs and elves agrees!" Apollo insisted though he fell silent afterwards.

*(+++++)*

Ironstream and Felicity agreed to hide the books in a new trunk that would be stored in Harry's current vault; she sent Apollo to Harry's trust vault for some galleons and then on to the shops to purchase a large, secure trunk for his master's possessions. But the two adults argued over the other two items.

"The cloak must be studied," Ironstream argued, when Felicity refused to hand over the cloak.

"Not until Harry is old enough to make an informed decision," insisted the healer.

"But we're old enough to make an informed decision!" the goblin argued while the healer frowned.

"No, your curiosity is overriding your usual common sense about what is best for Harry."

"Where will you hide it?" he asked.

She smirked, "In the trunk with his books in the vault. And you will be responsible for keeping everyone out of the trunk until Harry is older."

"You're evil!" declared the exasperated goblin.

"I am not!" Felicity declared with a smirk. "I have just discovered my dark side when it comes to looking out for Harry, but I'm not evil!"

"Here! Here!" echoed a new voice as the portrait of a long-dead goblin healer woke and joined the conversation. The portrait of the long-dead goblin hung on the wall in Felicity's sitting room and the two healers had developed a good relationship over the years.

The portrait shook her finger at Ironstream and said, "Behave Ironstream or I shall visit your wife and insist that she give you lessons in protecting youngsters!"

Ironstream's mouth snapped shut and he bowed to the portrait. "That won't be necessary, ancestor. This goblin has been rightfully chided by the mother of the youngster. The mother is always correct when protecting a little one."

The goblin shook his head and began to examine the pensive. He tapped on the rim with his knife, the goblin's 'wand' and there were mere sparks that rose from the cloudy interior.

"This is a pensive that projects the memories above the bowl with sound and even smell if the memory is strong enough. We should be able to see and hear the latest memory above the bowl."

Apollo popped back inside the room with a medium sized trunk that looked worn and old. The healer nodded her head but the goblin asked, "That's the best you could find?"

The elf grinned and nodded his head, "This be trunks with powerful notices-me's-not charm. We places trunk in Mr Harry Potter's vault, no wizard, goblin or elf ever notice unless looking for it particulars."

Grimacing, Ironstream asked, "Does it at least have expansion charms on the inside?"

The elf's face grew outraged, "Apollo's knowing trunks! This be largers inside than fussy goblin's vault!"

"Careful," Felicity whispered. "You'll not like the name the elves give you if you keep this up."

"Alright, alright," Ironstream conceded.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: What About the Memories?

Ironstream pointed to the pensive and said, "Did anyone try to use the pensive? It is supposed to project the selected memory above the rim for all to see."

The little elf told the healer and the goblin the story about the pensive. "Missy Fawkes Phoenix says that Whiskers fills the stone bowls with too manys memories to shows outside anymore. There be thousands of memories from Whiskers, dead peoples, living peoples and even some portraits inside the stone bowls."

Turning toward the portrait of the goblin healer from a century ago, Felicity asked, "Greenleaf, can a portrait give a memory for living goblins and wizards to view?"

The portrait of the goblin tilted her head in thought and replied, "I don't know. Let me ask around in the other portraits and I'll see if anyone has heard of it."

"I think we should dump out all the old memories," Felicity announced. "There's nothing in there that Harry needs to see!"

"No," Ironstream immediately objected. "I think Harry's friend Mr Finch-Fletchley had the right of it. We must catalogue these memories – who are they from, what they show. There could be important information in them."

"I don't…" the healer tried to argue. The idea of years of someone else's memories being viewed made her very uneasy.

"The gentlemen from MI-5 will be interested in them. They can use these memories to build a profile of Dumbledore and perhaps the other important people in Magical Britain."

Now it was Felicity's turn to close her mouth and think.

*(+++++)*

Ragnock stared at the pair – Ironstream and Felicity Grossman were too frequently in his office this fall.

"I suppose this is my new normal," the director sighed. "What's happened this time?"

Ironstream set the pensive on the director's desk and handed over the letter. When he read the list of heirlooms, the director growled.

"A Deathly Hollow?"

"A folktale for children," Ironstream stated though the director's expression didn't change. The goblin pressed a rune on his desk and the door to his office opened immediately.

The goblin at the door was told, "I need Sowsbreath here soonest."

The young goblin nodded and closed the door.

"While we wait, tell me about the pensive," Ragnock instructed the pair. After hearing the information from Harry's letter and their own quick experiments with the pensive, the director rose from his chair to pace about the room for a moment.

"Yes, this is a conundrum for certain," the director admitted. "I find the idea of viewing the personal memories of the 'illustrious' Dumbledore to be distasteful, but the potential value of some memories makes it worth more consideration."

"The elf said there were memories of many different people in the pensive as well as memories of some portraits," Ironstream said.

Felicity bristled, "It feels like peeping…"

"No, it is spying," Ragnock corrected the healer. "Spying is the venue of governments. Wizards use portraits and ghosts…"

"We do have access to spies at MI-5 now," Ironstream stated.

Ragnock shook his head, "I won't trust them with this…"

Felicity joined the conversation saying, "They were honest about the werewolves. Sowsbreath met with known werewolves and saw them change into wolves, not the monster form. On the full moon, they make an animagus transformation into true wolves rather than the creature form that wants to kill people."

"And Sowsbreath reported that the government eliminated all the wild werewolves," Ironstream added. "A draconian step I'd never believe the muggles would take."

"But necessary and effective," Ragnock added with a nod. He admired the Queen's government doing what was necessary to end the werewolf threat.

At just that moment, Sowsbreath entered the room and the old goblin grinned, "What's the latest news from Hogwarts? The three of you in one room can only mean that something of interest has occurred."

*(+++++)*

As Ironstream and Felicity repeated the news, Sowsbreath listened while pacing about the room. When they were finished, he read the letter and said, "We have to make decisions about two things – the cloak and the pensive."

Ironstream smiled for a moment thinking the old goblin would side with him and want to investigate the cloak. Felicity frowned preparing for more arguments before Sowsbreath said, "The cloak goes into a trunk with locks that only the boy can open. No one must play with the cloak or use it except for someone in the Potter family."

"Why?" asked Felicity.

"I believe the Potters are the rightful owners of one of the Deathly Hollows and for anyone other than a member of the family to use it would attract the attention of Death himself."

"What!" exclaimed Ironstream and Ragnock, as Felicity sank into a chair.

Sowsbreath grinned, "Did you try it on, Healer Grossman?"

"Yes, but for only a minute."

"Then I'm certain you did not come to Death's attention. As the legal guardian for the Potter heir, you must be able to handle such items."

Ironstream nodded and said, "And she argued with me most forcefully that the cloak was to be put away until Harry wanted to examine it."

"Now the pensive…" Ragnock reminded the others. "What shall we do with the memories?"

Sowsbreath stepped closer to the desk and peered inside the bowl. He tapped the rim with his knife and when nothing appeared about the bowl, he stuck in a finger. It was almost ninety seconds before he pulled the digit from the wisps of memories floating in the bowl and then rubbed his chin.

"This a gold mine of great worth," he stated. "For Gringotts and for our new allies."

The old goblin bowed before Ragnock and made his petition saying, "Director, the curse-breakers ask – no, beg – to take on the task of viewing, cataloguing and storing the memories from the pensive. We will view each memory, date it, make appropriate catalogue entries, and the correlate the memories to provide a comprehensive portrait of Dumbledore's knowledge and plans."

"And our friends from MI-5?" asked the director, interested in Sowsbreath's thinking.

Sowsbreath grinned, "I want to see Lovett's face when he sees the pensive full of the memories of Albus Many-Names Dumbledore. I shall have a Patronus worthy memory when he realizes the treasure trove of knowledge here."

"The pensive stays within Gringotts," Felicity insisted. "Those wizards might never return it if they got their hands on it."

"Agreed," stated Sowsbreath. "And we will only work on it with a team of four present. No one views the memories alone and different teams of my curse-breakers will take turns. And I'll insist on Lovett rotates at least three different wizards from his staff of muggleborns to assist."

"They have better systems to catalogue and cross-reference the material," Felicity said.

"I won't have electricality brought into Gringotts!" Ragnock declared. "The ministry would declare us in revolt and attack!"

The healer shook her head and explained, "They have manual typewriters that will make every page of every report clear and easy to read."

Then Felicity took a deep breath and added, "But as Harry Potter's guardian, I insist that there be nothing about Harry's origins kept. Any memories with hints about Harry…"

"Nothing about his origins," Sowsbreath agreed. "The damn prophecy and the story from James and Lily may have been recorded here but I'll demand oaths of silence from the curse-breakers and Lovett's muggleborns."

"Make it so," Ragnock commanded. "Let's hope we can get through the week without another Hogwarts cauldron exploding in our faces."

*(+++++)*


	29. Chapter 29

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

As Yule Break approaches, Dumbledore attempts to spread rumours of a dark creature in the castle and a hidden treasure.

During a DADA class, the first year 'puffs and 'claws get an unusual lecture from Professor Moody about dark creatures. Then the students scare Professor Moody.

With help from Hedwig and the Potter elves, Harry adds the dragon scales to his protections. Then Harry counts his blessings during free flying on Sunday.

The fall term ends with exams, tears from several sixth-year students, and the train ride back to London.

Finally, Dumbledore gets around to viewing his December vault statement from Gringotts and much yelling ensues.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 28 A Lecture on Werewolves

*(+++++)*

SCENE: The DADA Classroom

After transfiguration, Harry led the children from 'puffs and 'claws into the DADA classroom; their wands out, overlapping shields in place and in a formation that put the best 'spotters' on each end. Susan Bones brought up the rear and she kept casting detection spells around the room to see if Professor Moody was waiting for them under an invisibility spell. Today, he wasn't and the children checked their desks for charms before they sat down – last week he caught them all with a sticking charm that held them in their seats for a full hour.

When the bell rang to signal the beginning of class, Moody came through his office door like any other professor and without greetings or collection of homework, he began a lecture on dangerous creatures in Magical Britain.

"Most creature attacks against wizards and witches are perpetrated by werewolves," Moody said from behind the lectern. "These vicious, dark creatures can attack at any time, from any shadow, and leave their victims torn to pieces."

Before the first hour had passed, Moody paused to take a drink from a flask he drew from inside his robes. For some reason, this action caught Harry's attention – Professor Moody took a swig from his flask every ten minutes or so during his lectures.

While the professor paused for the drink, Hermione stuck her hand in the air to get permission to ask a question, but Moody ignored the muggleborn witch and proceeded to discuss methods of dealing with werewolves including conjuring nets made of silver and throwing them at the beast. This continued for another fifteen minutes, most of the students making notes but a few were restless.

Moody's lecture was very serious and he warned the students, "Generally, when a group encounters a werewolf, one or more members of the group is torn to pieces while the others can escape or attempt to subdue the beast."

Harry, Neville, and Justin exchanged glances now – Alastor Moody's philosophy was to kill dangerous creatures, not 'subdue' them if possible.

"Think finite incantatem will do the trick?" whispered Justin.

"No," Neville replied, shaking his head. "I think it's the headmaster! He'd use Polyjuice or something to assume Moody's shape."

"Look at his wand!" Harry said, standing up in class and casting a stunner at the professor. Very quickly, Neville, Justin, Padma, Susan, Hannah and Sally followed Harry's example and the man lay on the floor of the classroom unconscious.

Unprepared for the attack, 'Moody' went down immediately from multiple stunners that would leave him unconscious for at least an hour.

"Harry? Why did you stun Professor Moody?" asked Hermione when she recovered from her shock.

"That's not Professor Moody!" Harry declared as he pointed at the still form of the professor behind the lectern.

"He's right," agreed Michael Croner from the 'claws. "Professor Moody never remains behind the lectern and he always lets students ask questions."

"And Moody would never tell us to subdue a werewolf," Neville added. "He'd give us ten ways to kill it."

"Neville's right," Justin agreed.

"What made you fire that first stunner, Harry?" asked Susan Bones while the students gathered their books to flee the classroom.

"His wand," Harry replied. And pointing toward the front of the room he added, "That's the headmaster's wand."

The other students looked at the funny wand that lay against the wall and agreed.

"So why is the headmaster here?" someone asked.

"And where's Professor Moody?" asked another voice.

*(+++++)*

At just that moment, the door to the classroom opened and the real Alastor Moody stepped into his classroom.

"Albus, there's nothing wrong with the wards. You sent me on a wild goose…" he began shouting but he fell silent when he noticed the prone body – his own body – lying at the front of the classroom. The startled faces of his 'claws and 'puffs were there for only a moment before they disappeared with a quiet pop.

Quickly casting a dozen detection spells with his wand, Moody frowned – the children had been here and they were now missing.

_'What did you do, Albus?'_ the old Auror wondered as he approached the unconscious wizard on the floor. He cast spells and realized Dumbledore must be using Polyjuice.

_'Stealing my hair, Albus? Naughty, naughty,'_ Moody cursed as he cast a spell to revive the wizard.

*(+++++)*

As he slowly grew aware of his surroundings, Albus Dumbledore heard the thundering voice of Alastor Moody demanding to know what happened to his class of students.

"Where are they? What did you do to the children this time?" the Auror demanded. "And why are you in my form? Where did you get my hair? Do you have a supply of hair from a hundred wizards and witches hidden in your quarters?"

"No," Albus replied. Without thinking clearly, the headmaster explained further, "The fire got my stash of hairs too."

Moody grimaced, his worst opinions of the headmaster only growing stronger. Dumbledore realized that he was still in Moody's form and he was unable to stand – the peg leg was certainly hard to manage from the floor and the real Alastor Moody refused to give him a hand up.

*(+++++)*

The door to the classroom opened again as the Deputy Headmistress hurried into the room with her wand drawn and her seventh-year students from transfiguration behind her.

"What's going on here?" she demanded to know. "I have a hysterical first year in my classroom crying about werewolves and two Professor Moody's in the DADA classroom!"

"It's all a pleasant misunderstanding, Professor McGonagall," declared the professor in Polyjuice pants on the floor while he attempted to leverage himself off the floor without his wand.

"Hand me my wand," he said though neither professor moved to retrieve it for him.

"Albus is playing games again," the real Moody declared as he summoned the headmaster's funny wand from the floor. He glanced at the wand for a moment before placing it on a student desk, out of the headmaster's reach.

"Who are you?" Minerva demanded.

"Moody just told you…"

"Declare yourself!" the transfiguration professor demanded. "Your words must name yourself!"

Sighing as if mortally offended not to be trusted, the man on the floor announced, "I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, and…"

"Enough…" McGonagall spit once she was certain of the man's true identity. "What happened? Why are students scared of you this time?"

"I have no idea why they would attack me," Dumbledore replied. "But I shall expel each and every one of them!"

"You'll do no such thing!" Moody declared. "My students took appropriate action to defend themselves in my classroom from a stranger – someone pretending to be me with the use of Polyjuice."

The Auror frowned and continued, "If they killed you, nothing would be done – you'd be locked in my form as a corpse and we'd never know what happened to the celebrated Albus Dumbledore!"

"What were you lecturing them on?" asked Minerva. "What scared them?"

The headmaster attempted to direct the conversation into another direction but the deputy headmistress would have none of it. Dumbledore finally admitted that he was lecturing on dark creatures in Magical Britain and specifically how to subdue werewolves with minimal losses to the wizards engaged with the beast.

"Dark creatures!" she thundered. "The students don't learn about dark creatures until their third year! You idiot!"

Moody shook his head and said, "And you're the only person in all of Magical Britain that would speak of attempting to subdue a werewolf. Every Auror knows that you kill werewolves in their monster form! There is no 'subdue', there is only 'kill or be killed', or worse, 'turned' into a werewolf!"

"Students learn to transfigure silver in their second year and learn to conjure arrows in DADA that year. Then in third year, DADA, the two skills are put together as a defence against the creatures!" McGonagall huffed.

*(+++++)*

McGonagall required the real Alastor Moody to guard the Polyjuice pants wizard until he returned to his true form. The fake Moody sighed and mourned the loss of trust from his deputy but she refused to reconsider.

"When he changes back into his normal form, escort him back to his office and then return his wand; not a moment before!" McGonagall ordered the Auror.

"You've made a troll out of a niffler, Miner…"

"McGonagall!" the woman demanded. "You do not get to use my name!"

Shortly thereafter, Minerva left with her seventh-year students to continue their transfiguration lesson.

*(+++++)*

While they waited for the hour to pass and the potion to wear off, Dumbledore asked Moody several questions about the students in his first year DADA class.

"Are any of the firsties good? Anyone outstanding?"

"In this group, they're all outstanding. This group will be into second year material before the end of March."

"Surely not!" Dumbledore said, the real astonishment evident in his voice. "It is dangerous for them to attempt second year spells before their cores grow!"

"Then why do you urge me not to give them the core strengthening exercises that every student is supposed to learn and practice?"

"I just worry that we're asking too much of them," the disarmed wizard said. "Now…"

"Merlin's bad breath, Albus, just ask what you want to know without boring the hippogriff to death with a million useless questions!"

The two men stared at each other, neither speaking again until after the potion wore off and Albus was able to climb to his feet again without assistance.

"Why didn't you help me up?" Dumbledore asked.

Moody sniffed, "A wizard on the floor without his wand is pretty much defenceless. If I offered you my hand, you could pull me down to the floor and wrestle me for my wand. I was safest with you defenceless on the floor."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Happy Alastor Moody

Once he'd escorted the headmaster to his office and left him there, Moody went looking for the students who disappeared from his classroom. He found Potter with his friends from both houses in the library. Smiling to see the children pull out their wands when he appeared, Moody quickly showed them his empty hands, sat at the table and placed both hands palms down on the table.

Madam Pince joined them to remind Moody about her rules, "There'll be no spell casting in the library or other nonsense that might disturb my students or damage one of the books!"

The Auror nodded his head in understanding. "I must speak with these students, Madam Pince. I believe they have some new magic to explain to me."

"Very well, five minutes and then I throw you out!" she said as she cast a privacy spell that left Moody and the table of students enclosed within a shell of privacy.

"Now, tell me how you…"

"Prove you're Professor Moody!" demanded Neville.

Smiling, Moody stood, popped his wand from his wrist holder and swore on his life and magic that he was 'Alastor Moody, your professor for DADA'.

Longbottom nodded once but no one put away their wands.

"I wanted to compliment you for detecting the imposter and for excellent use of the spell to put him on the floor," Moody said. "How many stunners hit the headmaster?"

"Seven," replied Granger without thinking. "We've been working very hard on offensive spells as well as shields."

"In teams?" he asked and noticed that only Granger nodded to confirm his question.

"And now you're all on high-alert and paying close attention to your environment?" he asked. "Is that why you came to the library?"

"Yes sir," Susan replied. "We know Madam Pince protects students and the quiet in the library."

"Very good." Moody paused and then asked, "Now, how did you do it? How did all of you disappear from the classroom?"

"We're afraid there'll be another troll in the castle," Padma said to begin.

Sally-Anne nodded before she added, "Harry, Neville, and Justin were trying to find a way we could escape from an attack."

"It was Neville who had the best idea," Harry admitted. "He said we should use… something that pops us away from danger."

"Something?" Moody asked with disbelief in his voice. "How can 'something' pop anyone away?"

The children exchanged glances and Justin said, "It's our secret defence strategy, sir. We don't want anyone to know."

"I'll tell!" announced Zach Smith.

The Hufflepuff firstie suddenly found himself being hustled out of the library by the other boys in his year. Madam Pince noticed the group leaving but they were not being overly loud and she remained silent. Back at the table, Sally-Anne Perks and Hannah Abbot gathered Smith's books and bag, as Susan Bones whispered to the 'claws.

Granger and Patil frowned but Michael Croner quietly insisted that the 'puffs had to put the fear of Morgana into the boy. Then Bones, Corner, Patil, and Granger turned back to their DADA professor who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Professor, we really can't tell you about our escape…" Michael Corner said. "We want to keep it secret from you as long as you work here."

"Yes, but next summer, we want you to help us make it better," Hermione said.

Moody asked, "Does it hurt anyone or break any laws to use this escape plan?"

"No sir," Susan confirmed.

"It tickles…" Padma admitted.

"Who developed the escape plan?" he asked and Granger grinned.

"It was the teamwork of a muggleborn, a half-blood, and a pure-blood," the young witch said. "Potter, Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley."

Moody stood up, his smile threatening to break his scarred and damaged face. "One hundred points to Potter, one hundred points to Longbottom, and one hundred points to Finch-Fletchley."

He grinned again and said, "Twenty points each for Granger, Corner, Padma Patil, Bones, Perks, McMillian, Abbot, and Martin."

"And Zach Smith?" asked Susan.

"I won't take points from the boy but I will give him a lecture about teamwork in our next class! The idiot!"

*(+++++)*

In the nearby, deserted classroom, the boys from the first year 'puffs set Zacharias Smith to rights. They stood in a circle around Zach seated in a chair but didn't threaten their classmate physically.

"Smith – we're going back to Smith by-the-way," Ernie McMillian informed the boy. "In Hufflepuff, we don't tattle trying to get approval from the professor!"

"We just got this plan to escape the next time there's a troll and you want to mess it up by telling!" Justin said.

"There won't be another troll!" Zach insisted.

"Really? Well, there was an imposter in DADA this morning," Justin said as Susan came into the room. The 'claws passed by the door on their way back to their dormitory.

"Professor Moody agreed to not say anything," Susan said. "He was very happy and gave Hufflepuff four hundred points."

Zach breathed easier – his bad move hadn't cost them house points.

"Look Smith, we want to be friends and work…" Justin began to say.

"Yeah, I know," Zach sighed as if he was bored with the conversation already.

"Smith, listen up," Neville said, standing over the seated boy. "If you want to go it alone, that's your choice. But that means the next time there's a troll or Cerberus in the castle, we leave you behind."

"What?" the boy asked, suddenly afraid.

"Neville, no," Harry insisted. "Smith's a jerk but I don't want to see him smashed into jelly by a troll."

"Or bitten into three pieces by a three-headed dog!" Justin added.

"So, what's it to be, Smith?" Bones asked. "Will you be a loyal 'puff? Or not? I think you can change houses and go to Slytherin."

"Naw," Sally-Anne said. "Smith would go to Gryffindor."

Zach frowned and pulled his arms down to wrap around his chest. There was silence in the room for a long minute and then Harry Potter said, "Smith…"

"Alright, I'll be a good 'puff," the boy said, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Good," said Susan. "Come on, let's go get ready for supper."

The girls were ready first but waited for the boys – all the boys – to join them. Zach was placed in the centre of the group, and he realized his classmates wanted him to feel included.

"You're a jerk sometimes," Ernie whispered to his roommate. "But we're all 'puffs and we look after each other."

*(+++++)*

In the Great Hall that evening, there were animated discussions at each table at how the Hufflepuffs – the duffers! – were leading in the race for the house cup by almost four hundred points. Ravenclaw gained sixty points this afternoon but the 'puffs, who had been ahead by thirty points were suddenly ahead of the 'claws by three hundred and seventy points.

The Slytherin upper years kept trying to determine who in the Hufflepuff seventh-year students won the points. Gryffindors argued amongst themselves, loudly, about professors favouring the 'puffs. Ravenclaw students compared notes and sent upper year students to talk to the younger students.

*(+++++)*

The conversation at the staff table was just as loud as it was at the student tables.

"How did the 'puffs earn so many points today?" asked Snape. "Did they save the castle from a dragon?"

"There was an incident with the headmaster in the DADA class with the 'puffs and 'claws this afternoon," Minerva said, her disapproval of the headmaster's actions clearly on display.

The headmaster frowned. "Who gave the…," he paused to keep himself from using an inappropriate word, "Who gave them house cup points for attacking me?"

"They attacked you?" Pomona asked. "What did you do to warrant an attack by my firsties?"

"And mine?" asked a furious Flitwick.

At the end of the table, Moody cleared his throat, cast the spell to make his voice heard across the room, and explained.

"This afternoon, the headmaster told me there was a problem with the wards and he asked me to investigate. To 'help me', he volunteered to cover my class with the first year 'puffs and 'claws."

"There was nothing wrong with the wards except for a tricky locking charm on the door that would have confined me to the room for a couple hours."

The veteran Auror glanced at Dumbledore and sneered, "Amateur."

"In any case, when I entered the DADA classroom, I discovered someone who looked like me laying against the wall, unconscious. My students detected an imposter in my place and they reasoned that he was not using a glamour or 'illusion'."

Alastor sneered at the headmaster again. "So, they rightfully blasted him with stunners."

"Students fired stunners at a professor?" asked Lupin.

"No," Moody said. "They fired stunners at an imposter! They had no way of knowing it was the headmaster."

Then Moody made the case that the students responded appropriately by adding, "For all they knew it was an assassin come to kill the headmaster tonight when we gathered here in the Great Hall."

None of the other staff members were upset with the students so Dumbledore frowned, rose from his throne, and threw down his napkin before stalking from the hall. No one called for him to return and he would dine alone in his office tonight.

Pomona slid her wand back into the wrist holster once Albus left the hall, and then she turned back to Moody as he sat down and cancelled the spell that let everyone hear his speech.

"But you shouldn't reward them for knocking down…"

"The points had nothing to do with the students detecting and disabling an imposter," Moody explained. "Those kids… those kids are remarkable. They've resolved a defence problem that I can't describe right now. That's why they got the points."

*(+++++)*

Dora Tonks and her classmates spent the dinner time whispering and sending delegates to the sixth year 'puffs who reported the fifth years were just as surprised. The fourth years, third years, and second years were quiet but didn't share their news. Tonks and fourth year Cedric Diggory went to the end of the table to make inquiries of the firsties just before desserts were served.

Seeing the two leaders from the upper years coming toward them, the firsties wanted to deflect their questions away. It was Hannah Abbot who smiled after an idea popped into her head.

"At home, we call desserts 'pudding'," Hannah announced to her classmates as she pointed toward the desserts just delivered to the table. "I think many muggles call it pudding too."

"Hey, guys," Cedric said to greet the firsties. "Tonks and I were wondering if you'd heard anything about the points Hufflepuff earned this afternoon."

"Cedric, does your family call it 'pudding' or 'dessert'?" Hannah asked. The older boy was distracted by her question so the 'puff turned to the seventh-year girl. Dora and Cedric noticed the boys and girls exchanging glances and no one was forthcoming with information.

"Tonks, you father is muggleborn. Does your family call it 'pudding' or 'dessert'?" Hannah asked motioning toward the table loaded with chocolates and pastries tonight.

"Uh, sometimes we call it 'dessert' and sometimes 'pudding'," Tonks replied before she finally sat beside Zach Smith to grill the boy.

"It wasn't me!" Zach immediately announced. "I didn't do anything!"

The expression on Dora's face was comical – Smith's declaration caught her completely off-guard. Cedric's face was thoughtful and he turned toward the muggleborn students.

"Leave the firsties alone, Tonks," said Professor Sprout as she hurried between the tables. "Hufflepuff will have a house meeting in our common room immediately after pudding is cleared."

"See, I told you lots of people called it 'pudding'," Hannah said.

"You're a genius, Hannah," Susan said.

*(+++++)*

Once the dishes were cleared, the Hufflepuff students walked as large group back to their common room, which wasn't far from the Great Hall. Professor Sprout took attendance and sent a house elf for the missing three 'puffs – the missing girls were fifth-years and they were working on an English paper to send home via owls as part of their 'studies'.

"Girls, your free time is just that 'free', but you must eat," Paloma scolded.

"We had supper in the room, professor," one girl replied. "The elves were glad to help us with food."

"Don't overwork them," she said. "Hogwarts is still short a half dozen elves after the fire."

"Now," she said turning her attention to all of her Hufflepuffs. "I wanted everyone together for a few minutes to encourage all of you to work together."

"But, professor, we do work together…" protested Cedric Diggory. "Hufflepuffs…"

"Yes, that's true but we need to look at our work again," the witch said. "The reason I am saying this is because of the work I have seen accomplished by the firsties who have been a team since the sorting."

"But they've got Harry Potter!" complained one third year.

Professor Sprout smiled and motioned Harry to stand. "Mr Potter, are you the reason that Professor Moody awarded my house four hundred points today?"

The embarrassed boy replied, "Not just me; it took all of us working together to fix a problem. It took me, Longbottom, Finch-Fletchley, McMillian, Bones, Abbot, Perks… all of us." 

"Is that true, Smith?" asked an annoying third year boy.

Zach frowned but nodded and replied, "Yeah. They work together and pull me along. I've got to learn to work with 'em."

Professor Sprout smiled; if her 'puffs handled Smith this well in the first two months of the year, she'd arrange for her students to work with the Malfoy boy and the other troublemakers in Slytherin in the spring or next year. Severus and Minerva despaired of reaching the boy.

"Excellent!"

Sallie-Anne Perks raised her hand and asked, "Professor, is it true there's a werewolf in the castle?"

"Yeah, that Weasley boy from Gryffindor told everyone that Professor Dumbledore told him there was a werewolf here!"

"It's Professor Lupin," announced the annoying third year boy. "The 'claws figured it out after one of Dumbledore's lectures in the hallway and the man disappearing at the full moon the last two months."

Paloma Sprout had a sour look on her face but she addressed the accusation head-on.

"Stop!" she ordered and the room grew silent. "If there were any danger, Professor Lupin would not be here at Hogwarts."

"So…"

"Have you seen or heard…" 

"Professor Dumbledore said we should cover him up with silver nets if he transforms," Zach Smith announced. "The headmaster said we shouldn't be afraid of werewolves but we should capture them an allow them to change back into their human form when the night is over."

Professor Sprout had to cover her mouth to keep from shouting that Dumbledore was an idiot, but today she would make use of the headmaster's propaganda.

*(+++++)*

In Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick's students logically reasoned that Professor Lupin wasn't dangerous and they were more interested in why the headmaster wanted them to think he was.

"The headmaster keeps saying there's something here that the dark creature wants to steal."

"What could you steal from Hogwarts?"

"The books are all protected by charms, spells and Madam Pince. Anyone who tried to steal a book wouldn't get very far…"

*(+++++)*

In Slytherin the seventh-year students and fifth-year students were only interested in their studies; a werewolf in the castle might make for interesting studies for the students in Magical Creatures but no one else cared… except for Draco Malfoy who wrote to his father about the dangerous creature allowed into the castle.

*(+++++)*

In Gryffindor, Professor Babbage silenced Ron Weasley in her house meeting. He'd stood up and announced he would not attend another herbology class and when his mother heard about a werewolf…

"Mr Percy Weasley," Babbage called the fifth-year prefect forward. "Take your brother to my office and wait for me to join you. We'll be talking with your father tonight."

Ron's eyes grew wide – his Dad was harder to anger but his punishments hurt much worse than his Mom's.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dragon Scales

In one of their few moments alone in the dorm room, Hedwig and Harry discussed what to do with the dragon scales sent by Swampy.

"I don't need the portkey since we have the elves," Harry reasoned but the owl ruffled her feathers and hooted quietly for a moment.

"Do you think Dumbledore will still try to get hold of my wand or me?" he asked and his familiar nodded.

"I won't leave my friends behind!" Harry insisted and the owl hooted her agreement.

Harry opened his trunk and got the two dragon scales out of the secret compartment. He sat on the floor and Hedwig joined him, hooting as he rolled the two scales over in his hand.

"How do we do this?" he asked the owl who chortled.

Harry grinned and replied, "You're right as usual."

The boy-who-lived grinned as he called, "Apollo, I need your help."

The little elf popped into the dorm room and danced about, happy to be called.

"Whats can Apollo do to help, Mr Harry Potters?"

Holding up the two scales and watching Apollo's eyes grow large to see the powerful artefacts, Harry explained, "I have two freely gifted dragon scales that are portkeys that can move me around the castle. Hedwig and I are trying to figure out how to use them. Do I just carry them around in my pocket?"

The elf peered at the scales and then examined Harry closely, walking around the boy seated on the floor and then around the owl who also stood on the floor.

"Apollo says that most powerful dragon scales be used to work with gifts from goblinses," the elf announced.

"My egg?" Harry asked as he pulled the necklace from out of his shirt, holding the small, golden egg in the palm of his hand.

"Yes, and Missy Hedwig's harness," the elf said. "Two scales for two protections."

"How do we do this?" Harry asked as Hedwig hooted the same question.

"Apollo knows how," the elf said as he called for the other Potter elves to join him. Once they were all there, the elves joined hands and formed a circle around Harry and Hedwig. Then Apollo told Harry to take one of the scales and insert it into the strap on Hedwig's harness where it crossed under her breast.

The dragon scale appeared to merge with the golden 'G' on the owl's harness. 

"There." Harry asked his familiar, "Does it feel any different?"

The owl hooted and the boy turned back to his own golden egg. The elves continued holding hands as Apollo told Hedwig to take the scale in her beak and to lay it against the egg Harry held up.

The owl tried to follow instructions but Harry's chest was too far off the floor for her to reach so the boy lay down on the rug. Now Hedwig quickly placed the dragon scale on the egg where it encased the golden object in a shimmering green cover that resembled jade.

There was a knock on the door and the elves popped away as Harry scrambled to his feet and Hedwig flew to the top of Harry's bed.

"The door was locked," Neville said as he and Justin walked in with their books from the library. "Are you saving the world again?"

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Flying and Blessings

On Sunday, there were no classes, no practical sessions, and no scheduled meetings with professors, but there was time to rest. In the afternoon, Harry found himself with several other 'puffs from each year on the Quidditch pitch, watching the players from all four teams spend some time in the air on their brooms.

Tonks who was clumsy walking a straight line on a level floor appeared to have no such trouble while on a broom, diving and swooping with other students like a flock of birds.

"I gotta get a broom of my own!" Harry told Justin.

"Yeah," the other 'puff agreed. "Flying is one of the great parts of being a wizard."

His classmate's statement made the dark-haired boy begin thinking about how his life had become better since he'd found out he was a wizard last summer. First, he didn't have to live with the Dursleys any longer – Felicity refused to share what had been done with his 'relatives' in her letters but Harry didn't really care.

Second, he had a new family at Gringotts with Felicity, Hedwig, and the babies. Ironstream and Hagrid were 'uncles' of a sort too so he had lots of people to spend his summer with. There'd be so many things to teach the dragons this summer!

Third, he had friends! Lots of friends in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw who he'd see over the summer and they'd have next year at Hogwarts to learn even more magic.

Fourth, Hogwarts was getting better with each week; the purebloods didn't like all the muggle studies at first but several had joined the maths and English classes. Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw prefect and Percy Weasley a Gryffindor prefect were two of the strongest advocates for the English class while it was a Slytherin firstie, Nott-something, who had embraced maths along with Neville Longbottom. Harry did the lessons but the two pureblood boys spent every free minute with maths and Hermione Granger.

"Hey, Harry!" called Susan Bones. "Hooch is going to let us use the school brooms!"

Harry and Justin rose from their seats in the stadium and ran to where the flying instructor was handing out the best of the school's brooms to the firsties who wanted to fly in the winter sunshine.

As Harry rose in the cold air, he felt the professor's warming charm surround him – he'd thank her when they landed. He swooped around the goal posts and grinned when Hedwig joined him, flying beside him.

The boy-who-lived felt the magic that enabled the broom to fly and he simply allowed his magic to join it. What he didn't realize was that other owls from the castle had joined his flight along with his classmates. Bones, Smith, Abbot and Finch-Fletchley grinned as they found their places in the formation of owls. The magic from Harry flowed across the sky and guided them through each dip and roll, in perfect time with the owls.

Tonks grinned to see the firsties flying with the parliament of owls and found she was attracted to the formation. She found Diggory, other 'puffs, 'claws, Gryffindors and even the Slytherin students joining in the great flock of brooms that dove and whirled in time with some magical signal from Harry Potter.

At the edge of the pitch, Rolanda Hooch marvelled as the Hogwarts students resembled a giant flock of birds in synchronized flight. From her office window, Minerva McGonagall felt tears flow down her face at the beauty in the flight – students from all four houses together in the air.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Hogwarts Express

Finally, the morning to begin the Yule Holidays arrived. The leaving feast the night before had been fun for Harry and the other firsties as everyone celebrated the end of the first term of the year. Now, the students joined for breakfast in the Great Hall before dividing between those staying in the castle for the holiday and those heading for the train station. Outside the Scottish countryside was covered by a winter snowstorm.

After the meal, the students bundled up to stay warm on the trip from Hogwarts to the train station in Hogsmeade and the individual students became nameless in the crowd. They left the castle and piled into the carriages to make the trip to the station in the snow, many of the muggle children singing Christmas carols.

Albus Dumbledore couldn't see individual students as they hurried from the castle, and he hesitated to ask for the lists of students signed up to stay in the castle – McGonagall refused to allow him to review the list the previous night. Last week, he'd been caught by Professor Sprout in the Hufflepuff common room.

"I want Mr Potter to remain at Hogwarts for the holiday," Dumbledore told the professor. "It's the only safe place for him."

"Safe?" Sprout asked. "We never interfere with a student's holiday plans, headmaster."

*(+++++)*

On the trip to London, Harry and his friends walked around the train, greeting many of their friends from other houses and making a few plans to get together for dinner, or for introductions to their extended families. In a few compartments, the firsties were surprized to find older students who cried quietly.

*(+++++)*

"I don't care if you're muggleborn or a half-blood, Cathy," Roger Heathcliff told his girlfriend. "I don't want you to leave Hogwarts!"

A young witch wrapped the young wizard in her arms and held tight enough to remember his heartbeat for the rest of her life.

"What happens when we graduate? Your parents will never agree to let us marry," Carrie argued. "When we met your parents in Hogsmeade last week, your mother hinted that something would be arranged to 'get rid of me'!"

"I would never let them…"

*(+++++)*

When three of her friends announced they would resign from Hogwarts over the holidays, Penelope Clearwater was speechless for a moment but then recovered.

"I'll miss you in study group! The Slytherins always let us do all the work!" she said to pass off her own sadness. "And we'll miss you on the Quidditch team."

"But no one else will miss us," Jesse Coleman said sourly. "Professor Flitwick…"

"He'll miss you the most!" Penelope insisted. "He's championed muggleborns for decades."

"And directed every muggleborn to apply at Gringotts or go back in the muggle world," the boy replied.

*(+++++)*

There were promises of letters and get-togethers made on the Hogwarts Express that December day. Some would occur but others would fade away with time.

*(+++++)*

This morning, Albus had not seen the distinctive owl or her cage with the boy in the Great Hall, so Dumbledore leapt to the conclusion the boy would remain at the castle. During the holidays, he'd have the opportunity to begin moving the boy-who-lived under his influence.

But at supper, Dumbledore allowed his anger to show when he learned that the boy had indeed been among the students who left. The few students at Hufflepuff table certainly didn't include Harry Potter – none of the 'puff firsties had stayed for the holiday.

"Who did he go home with?" he demanded to know.

"Who are you asking about, Dumbledore?" asked McGonagall. She'd brought a preliminary report on the fall test results to the table to show to Flitwick and found the headmaster's bad mood unsettling.

"He's been asking about Potter since he walked into the Great Hall," Snape explained. "The boy left with the other students this morning."

"His owl didn't leave with him," Dumbledore said. "I can't believe he thoughtlessly left his familiar behind."

Professor Sprout refused to join the conversation while Remus Lupin spoke quietly with Hooch and Babbage – Harry sent Hedwig off this morning with letters for MI-5 for Lupin and Snape. Both men would be reporting to their London office the next morning – Snape to review the plans for the lab for next summer and Lupin to begin his final reports on Hogwarts. The owl knew to find her way to Gringotts after delivering her letters.

"I insist that you tell me who he went home with," Dumbledore said and again Sprout failed to respond.

"Headmaster, it is inappropriate for you to ask such questions about a student's holiday plans!" McGonagall insisted.

"Professor Sprout, who did Harry Potter plan to visit this Christmas?" he demanded to know.

The herbology professor smiled and replied, "I believe all of my firsties planned to visit their family and friends, headmaster. Would you care to know about the plans of my other badgers? Cedric Diggory and Percy Weasley planned to take a couple of the Ravenclaw witches into the muggle world and visit the British Museum. There's an exhibition of artefacts from Ancient Egypt they wanted to see. Something about a curse on a mummy's tomb we all read in a book with Professor Babbage."

Totally ignoring the professor, Dumbledore continued, "Potter doesn't have any family… any home…"

"Oh, but he does, headmaster," Flitwick added. "My relatives at Gringotts wrote to me that Ragnock – the head of the bank – made Potter his personal ward. The director was greatly insulted when you ignored a personal invitation to meet with him back in October."

The diminutive charms professor set his teacup down and asked, "Didn't Minister Fudge and Director Bones both yell at you for fifteen minutes about almost causing a goblin rebellion all by yourself this fall? The whole of the Wizengamot censured you I believe…"

"How did you miss an invitation from the Director of the Bank, headmaster?" asked Snape.

The other professors were quiet and caught off guard – it was unusual for Severus to take the side of anyone except for the headmaster.

"I have so many letters… sometimes they get lost on my desk…" Dumbledore tried to explain.

A very late owl arrived during dinner and brought a letter to the headmaster. Fumbling with the letter just a bit, Dumbledore pushed the owl away before opening the letter to read a notice from his tailor that the robes he ordered for the New Year ball at the ministry were being held back – his Gringotts account held insufficient funds to pay for the dozen fitted robes he's ordered.

*(+++++)*

With the headmaster running out of the Great Hall, Minerva turned to Filius with the test results for the fall term.

"Look! The test averages for the 'claws, 'puffs and Lions are the lowest grades in ten years for the higher year students!" she complained as she placed the papers in front of the professor for charms.

She frowned and added, "I knew they were off their usual performance abilities but this will mean several fail their NEWTS in the spring if they keep up this slack attitude."

"Oh, dear," Flitwick sighed as he viewed the papers. He checked the names of the students who pulled down the scores and smiled sadly; his muggleborns were leaving him this holiday.

*(+++++)*

Forgetting about Harry Potter for the moment, Albus hurried to his office and searched for the statement from Gringotts for his account balances for December – he'd not looked at any paperwork from Gringotts in months. He finally found November and December's vault statements lying on the stand for his phoenix who chirped innocently about marking them with her offal.

The headmaster cast spells from his wand to clean the statements somewhat and then opened the December statement.

"Where did my Galleons go?" he asked the phoenix and the portraits after seeing the much lower total balance. He'd be able to pay for only three of the new robes but the tailor had custom made them all and would sue for damages.

Phineas Black had finally returned to his frame after hiding for three months in the picture frame of a friend in the DADA classroom. But the infamous headmaster remained quiet and watched Albus open the November statement.

"What is this? Two thousand Galleons to Saint Mungo's to cure the Weasley twins?" the headmaster shouted as he hurried to the floo and left the castle without telling anyone.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: At Saint Mungo's Hospital

Poppy Pomphrey was the administrator on duty this morning and the Ravenclaw witch was still adjusting to her new role in the hospital. The Chief Healer knew he'd made the right choice putting her to work in the records department but he'd already had to deal with her angry reports about the declining numbers of healers in the hospital. The prejudice against muggleborns and now even half-bloods had not lessened so none of those graduates were becoming healers. Snape's teaching practices meant that there were fewer qualified students who graduated from Hogwarts with acceptable grades on their NEWTS in potions.

As a consequence, Pomphrey altered with the Chief Healer that they'd have to contract with Gringotts for healers within the next ten years as older healers began to retire. Gringotts grabbed up every suitable half-blood and muggleborn, as well as several of the purebloods each year for their growing businesses. The chief was uncertain of his next steps – talking to Dumbledore about improving the instruction for potions was like talking to a brick wall about the colour of grass.

When the secretary at the front desk sent an aeroplane with the message that Albus Dumbledore was in the building demanding to speak to someone about a bill, Poppy smiled to herself. The betting pool was skewed now – everyone thought he'd be here last month yelling and several healers hoped that Molly Weasley would still be here when the headmaster arrived.

Both of the twins made a complete recovery and the Weasleys returned to the Burrow at the end of November. The hospital was noticeable quieter without Molly yelling at Fred and George all day… every day…

Pomphrey gathered her wand, pensive, and files. She'd never meet with Dumbledore in private; while she was convalescing in Saint Mungo's and began her physical therapy, a series of compulsions cast by the headmaster wore off. The result was that she mastered the stinging hex with her left arm within two days and hoped the day would come when she could cast it on Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore.

"Ah, Poppy," Dumbledore greeted the former Hogwarts mediwitch. "I see you've recovered nicely."

Poppy sniffed and turned her figure to the left to deposit her bag on the table, leaving her pinned up, empty right sleeve for the headmaster to ignore.

"Are you certain I can't entice you to return to Hog…" Albus began to say before a large welt seared across his left butt cheek underneath his gaudy robes.

"Ow!" he yelled slapping the welt.

"Apparently, we have a poltergeist who strikes out at guests with poor manners," Poppy explained, daring the wizard to say otherwise.

"Your injury has changed you, Poppy," Dumbledore said sadly.

"That's Administrator Pomphrey to you Mr Dumbledore," the former mediwitch corrected him. "Now what's this about a bill you are challenging?"

Dumbledore stood straight and declared, "Saint Mungo's has mistakenly billed me for the treatments provided to George Weasley and Frederick Weasley. I am certain an audit will show that there's no obligation on my part to pay…"

"You told Mrs Molly Weasley that you would cover all costs for their care while at the hospital."

"I never…"

"We have the memory," the administrator said, motioning toward the single memory pensive on the table. "Would you care to refresh your memory?"

Dumbledore's frown would have scared any dragon off a horde of gold but Poppy had already dealt with snot-nosed purebloods in her time at the hospital.

"Do you know how to use a single memory pensive?"

"Of course," Dumbledore replied as he stuck his finger into the small bowl. He watched Molly's memory of his floo called where he told her of the twins being injured and he did indeed assure the witch he would pay for their treatments.

'_I only meant to pay for Fred's peg leg and George's fake fingertips… not to replace the leg and grow new digits on hands and feet!'_ he groused in his mind.

As he pulled his finger out of the pensive, he accidentally pulled the ceramic bowl off the table, and watched it crash to the floor. The wisp of the memory faded away instantly.

"How clumsy of me," he admitted. "And the memory is lost too."

"Don't worry Mr. Dumbledore, we have multiple copies of the memory in storage and also at Gringotts," Pomphrey informed her guest. "Everyone can learn of your generosity in helping the unfortunate students injured at your school."

Again, Dumbledore frowned. Pomphrey shook her head, adding, "And the price for the pensive will also be charged against your account with payment due before 5 January."

She looked at Dumbledore and smiled, "Saint Mungo's does not extend credit in many cases but with the large amounts of Galleons you've already spent this fall, I can offer you the option of making three payments at the first of each month for January, February and March."

Dumbledore turned and stormed off without replying so Poppy marked his account as due in full on 5 January.

*(+++++)*


	30. Chapter 30

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Harry introduces Neville to the 'babies'; the Longbottom boy and Death communicate with multiplication tables. The Granger parents grow concerned over their daughter's stories. Felicity and the Longbottom account manager at Gringotts discover Neville's abuse.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 30 Holiday Fun

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Introductions at Gringotts

The moment the train stopped at Kings Crossing, the students burst from the doors onto the platform, looking for their families and friends to begin the holiday from school. Waving farewell, Hermione, Justin, and Sally Ann Perks headed through the doorway labelled '9¾' to the train station to find their muggle parents on the other side. Hannah, Zach, Ernie, and the others found their parents and left. A witch was there to pick up Susan and they used the floo to leave while Harry and Neville waded and dodged through the crowd to find Felicity.

"Harry! You've grown!" the healer declared as she hugged the boy who was taller than when he left October 1.

"Felicity, this is my good friend, Neville Longbottom," Harry said as he reluctantly released the hug.

The healer smiled at the blonde headed boy. "Mr Longbottom, we will be pleased to have you with us for Yule and Christmas. Be guest welcome!"

"Thank you, Healer Grossman," Neville replied with a bow.

"Now, the formalities are out of the way…"

"So, Scarhead, retreating to the mud huts with the muggles," said the unwelcome voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy, do you require assistance?" asked Penelope Clearwater as she stepped up to interrupt a potentially nasty end to the otherwise quiet trip down from Scotland.

"No," Draco said, attempting to wave off the meddling prefect.

"Then I suggest we walk into the station and find your parents," she insisted as the head boy came and joined them.

"Come along Malfoy," the Ravenclaw boy insisted. "Your parents will be anxious to find you and leave."

"Who was that?" Felicity asked after their pureblood classmate vanished into the train station with the prefect and the head boy.

"His name is Draco Malfoy," Neville replied. "He's supposed to be a pureblood scion with perfect manners."

Harry shook his head, "The purebloods with the best manners never stand out like the ones with bad manners – like Malfoy and Weasley – they're both in our year."

"Well, we don't have to deal with bad manners during the holidays!" Felicity replied. "Come on now, we need to get to the floo. After you rest for a few minutes, we'll have tea with Ironstream and then visit the nursery."

"Nursery?" asked Neville.

"Not a greenhouse nursery, Neville," Harry explained. "We'll go see the babies and I'll introduce you to the dragons that hatched last summer at the bank."

"Dragons?" Neville asked. "I never really believed…"

"They're smart and Swampy is really sweet," Harry replied.

Felicity smiled and laid her hand on Neville's shoulder to reassure him though the boy flinched back. The healer said nothing about the boy's reaction but continued, "Every time she brings a letter from Harry, Miss Hedwig and I take it to the dragons. I read it aloud to the dragons and leave them an enlarged copy to practice their reading. Hagrid assured me the 'babies' are very excited that you have come home to visit and that you will bring more friends to meet them."

"Real dragons…" murmured Neville as the three made their way into the station to an available floo.

*(+++++)*

After a short rest, Felicity led the two boys through the hallways to a nice doorway where they knocked and heard a voice call for them to enter the office.

"Harry! Good to see you back at Gringotts!" declared Ironstream as he came around his desk to shake hands with the boy-who-lived and for the proper introduction to 'Heir Longbottom'.

Sowsbreath, Steeltoe and a third goblin waited beside the desk for a proper introduction to the new boy and then everyone went to the tables for tea and biscuits, fruit and small cakes. The goblin 'tea' was at a shorter table, but the wizard 'tea' was plentiful and delicious.

Sowsbreath, Steeltoe, and Ironstream had many questions for the two boys about their adventures at Hogwarts while Felicity asked questions about their classes. The third goblin, named Sharpknife, was the account manager for the Longbottom vaults and estate – he wanted to meet Heir Longbottom and make gentle inquiries about the boy's education.

"May we see the babies now?" Harry asked after the last Goblin delicacy was nibbled by Ironstream. The account manager smiled without displaying his teeth – his approval of his wards proper manners led him to grant the request.

"Yes, come, let us away to the depths of the vaults where dragons hold court and practice reading their 'brother's' letters every day," Ironstream waxed poetic while Harry and the others grinned.

"The dragons read Harry's letters?" asked Neville. He turned to his friend and said, "So that's why you print them."

"Yeah, Swampy, Death, Whatcha and Flat hatched last summer. They learned to eat and drink the first day. The second day they started talking to me in parsel tongue, and they could understand English then too. We worked the whole of September on reading from primers and the Daily Prophet."

"So, those names?" asked Neville. "Swamps? Whatsit?"

Harry laughed. "The babies 'knew' their names when they hatched and that's the first thing, they told me. Their full names are Flatfoot, Swampbreath, Deathrider, and Whatchamacallit."

"Then Hagrid gave them nick names; Flatfoot became 'Flat', Swampbreath became 'Swampy', Deathrider became 'Death', and Whatchamacallit became 'Whatcha'.

"They liked the nick names but that's because they think Hagrid is their Dad, so anything he wants is okay with the babies. And they think Fang, Hagrid's the big dog, is their Mum."

Neville looked at his friend and said, "Justin will love this but I wonder what Hermione and Susan will think."

Harry grinned, "If the babies like you, I intend to bring everybody to meet 'em."

Ironstream remained quiet listening to the conversation between the two young wizards; he had no doubt that Harry Potter would have his entire class here to meet the dragons at some point over the holidays or next summer. Perhaps it was time to move a couple vaults out of the way and enlarge the nursery with school rooms for the young goblins, wizards and dragons.

"Harry, it is important this holiday to begin teaching the 'babies' as you call them, to speak English or Garfish. Hopefully, they will be able to speak both," Ironstream said.

Nodding, Harry asked, "How much do they need to know before I go back to school?"

Ironstream said, "I want to know if they can learn English… Not just mimic your words but put a simple sentence together in English."

Neville said, "We definitely need Justin and Hermione here… Say, maybe maths would be the way to reach the dragons."

"What do you mean, Mr Longbottom?" Felicity asked.

"Hermione goes on and on about maths being another language that we use to communicate – numbers do not change between English and Garfish… Well that's not exactly true, we're supposed to start talking about using base eight next year…"

_)**(_

SCENE: Dragons in Gringotts

Arriving at the nursery – the dragon quarters that protected the richest vaults in Gringotts – Ironstream stopped the cart while Felicity giggled in her seat beside Harry as Neville continued to talk about numbers.

The goblin looked at Harry who smiled and explained, "Neville's been like this since he discovered maths back in November. When he gets with Justin and Hermione…"

Harry turned toward his friend and asked, "And who's the boy from Slytherin?"

"Theodore Nott," Neville replied calmly.

Now Felicity giggled as she watched Ironstream's face as he came to understand that the son of one of the Dark Lord's strongest supporters was consorting with two brilliant muggleborns to learn muggle maths was a Patronus worthy moment.

"Yeah, Teddy," Harry nodded. "He's a good guy. Anyway, the four of them talk numbers a lot of the time and they're teaching everyone. The fourth years in Arithmancy said they'd finish the whole class before the end of the year because Hermione and Justin showed them how to use decimals…"

"How does the professor for Arithmancy feel about that?" asked Felicity.

"Professor Vector smiles all the time now," Neville said. "She plans to take over the math club from Professor Flitwick and make it a full-time class that everyone has to take!"

"Let's go meet the dragons", Felicity said as Hedwig flew out of the nursery to greet Harry with whistles and chortles.

"Come on!" shouted Harry Potter who dashed around the cart and ran into the nursey with Hedwig flying behind him.

"Is he like this all the time?" asked Ironstream.

Neville grinned, "Wait until you see him on a broomstick. The whole parliament of owls at Hogwarts and every kid on a broomstick follow him in the air. It's one of the best things I've ever felt to fly with the Great Speaker."

"Goblins don't fly," Ironstream replied though he noticed Neville referred to Harry by that still unexplained title.

"Not yet," replied Felicity. "He's going to want to take the babies flying so you might as well make arrangements to take them all to the giant cavern sometime to fly."

"We don't have brooms," Ironstream growled.

The healer smiled and said, "Think of the interest you could generate among the broom makers if Harry Potter and his dragons – his Gringotts dragons – endorsed a broom? Front page coverage in the Daily Prophet…"

"I hate you Felicity Grossman," Ironstream muttered and scared Neville as they walked the last steps into the 'nursery'.

Felicity was quick to reassure her visitor, "He doesn't really mean that Mr Longbottom. Ironstream is lauded by all goblins for the information and income that working with Harry's estate has brought to the bank this fall."

"I mean every word of it! You're a Dark Lady!" insisted Ironstream.

"Oh, well… Harry will like that," Neville said.

"What do you mean?" asked Felicity suddenly.

Neville grinned. "Justin is going to be a Dark Lord and Susan is going to be a Dark Lady – we're all friends and work together every day. For Harry's magical guardian to be called a 'Dark Lady' will please all the kids in our year."

"I'm not serious… She's not a dark lady…" Ironstream repeated to assure the boy he wasn't serious, and Felicity nodded in agreement.

Neville shook his head. "That's too bad. Harry'll be so disappointed…"

Realizing the boy was teasing, Ironstream hissed, "You evil boy! Just as evil as the healer!"

Felicity's laughter filled the chamber as they stepped into the nursery and then she smiled, seeing Harry running from one dragon to the next, hugging their necks and hissing with them.

_)**(_

{I missed you, too!} Harry assured Swampy as Flat, Death and Whatcha each demanded to have their necks hugged again and again by their 'wizard'.

{We missed you so much boy!} insisted Death. {Miss Hedwig told us the tales and we wanted to come to Hogwarts to eat Whiskers.}

{No, no! You can't eat Whiskers,} Harry insisted. {He's old and stringy! He'd poison you and make you sick.}

Then Neville heard dragon laughter for the first time. He stepped closer, pulled by the sound, and stood there nervous until Harry grinned and said, "Neville, come make some new friends!"

Then he properly introduced his classmate to each dragon and showed Neville how to hug the dragon around the neck.

"They love to be hugged – something about their magic needs the demonstration of connection to another person. They wrap their necks around each other all the time, Hagrid hugs them and Fang sleeps lying across their necks."

"Harry, this is so great!" Neville said as he met each dragon. When he was introduced to Whatcha and hugged this dragon, his face grew serious and for some reason not clear to anyone else, Neville began reciting the multiplication tables with the dragon. He started slowly but then as the dragon began to stamp his feet slowly, smoke curling out of his nostrils, Whatcha began hissing also, and their voices appeared to be in synch.

"What's happening?" Felicity asked.

"They're reciting the multiplication tables together… In time with each other," Harry replied. "Whatcha and Neville are talking… going to learn how to talk to each other."

Ironstream stood at the back of the group and watched the half-giant dry his tears. The dog lifted his head from his bed on the comfortable sofa before rolling over to begin another nap.

"I knew my babies were smart," Hagrid insisted. "They read Harry's letters over and over…"

"How do you know they are truly reading?" asked Ironstream.

Hagrid considered the question for a moment before he explained, "When Miss Hedwig and Healer Grossman come to visit, the dragons and Miss Hedwig always talk about the letter and t'other letters. I seen Flat use her claws to point to certain words in previous letters and ask questions…"

"How can you tell when a dragon asks a question?" demanded the goblin.

Hagrid grinned. "My baby's tone tells me it's a question. Healer Grossman used the word 'inflection' to explain it to me."

Ironstream nodded. The dragons were learning to read and apparently, Mr Longbottom and Harry were pulling out paper and pens to introduce them to maths this afternoon.

"We'll need to bring them supper here in the nursery," Felicity confided with Ironstream. "I think both boys are enjoying themselves."

The two eleven-year-old wizards were busy showing all four dragons how to do sums, subtraction and multiplication all at once… Harry would shout out the answers from the dragons as Neville gave them harder and harder problems to resolve.

"And each number has a name in English, Garfish and Parsel," Harry announced. "This will help you to learn to speak in the other languages we need."

_)**(_

SCENE: Granger Discussions

Daniel and Grace Granger sat at their kitchen table late that first night of the holidays; their daughter's stories about magic, friends and the extra classes pleased them for the most part. But the news about the troll left them uneasy and needing reassurance that Hermione was safe while at Hogwarts.

"We've solved the problem with trolls, Daddy," Hermione assured her father. "Harry's got house elves and they can rescue us anytime there's danger."

Seeing her parent's continued concern, the young witch added, "We have fire-drills and practice disappearing at least twice a week."

"What are house elves?" asked the confused dentists.

Hermione glanced at her mother and began a short explanation on the elves and their ability to 'pop' the kids to safety.

"Did we get an invitation to dinner at Gringotts with Harry's family?" she asked her parents at one point.

"Yes, we did," Grace replied.

"And one from Cyrus and Gwendolyn Finch-Fletchley too. Didn't imagine we'd deal with both wizards and billionaires over the holidays," added Dan, shaking his head at the thought.

"Are Justin's parents that rich?" Hermione asked. "He said they were well-off but then everyone thinks I'm rich because I had four pairs of shoes for school. Mom, the pureblood girls asked me to bring them back 'silk' underwear."

"Silk?" choked Dan while his wife grinned.

"They just mean the polyester blends… it feels like silk to people who are used to… What do the witches use?"

Hermione frowned, "Witches use linen – old fashioned linen – that is scratchy. I keep telling them the cotton blends are better and last longer."

"Will you wait and talk about ladies' undergarments when you go shopping?"

Hermione brightened and said, "Mom, can I get a new dress to wear to Justin's? And let me phone Sally-Anne and Susan. They'll want new dresses…"

"Yes, dear but we have to make certain we're all in the same budget," Grace reminded her daughter. "We met with the Perks back in October and I don't think they're that well-off."

"Then I want a dress just like hers," Hermione said. "We're all friends and I don't want her to feel bad."

Clearing his throat, Dan asked, "Can you tell us about your friends a little more?"

Hermione grinned and launched into details about Padma, Harry, Neville, Justin, Sally, Susan…

"Justin is very smart – he likes maths almost as much as me – and Teddy and Neville. Did you know you can use math to…"

"Hermione, we'll meet all your friends and their parents at Gringotts… and at the Finch-Fletchleys when we go there for dinner."

"Can Padma come to visit? She wants to see my books and she wants her mother to see our kitchen. Her mom loves muggle cooking pots and pans. I told her about gas stoves and they were excited about the chance to use that instead of magic to cook…"

"Hermione, do wizards have indoor plumbing?" asked her father. "Like the loo… hot showers…?"

"Yes, Daddy. It's very sanitary," the girl replied.

Dan shrugged, "It's a fair question, Hermione. They still use parchment and quills to write. That's very slow and tedious to write a huge paper that way I bet."

"Yes Daddy."

_)**(_

Only a direct order from Felicity made Neville and Harry leave the dragons at ten o'clock. They returned to Felicity's apartment in the bank's residence area to find the entire apartment spotless, beds turned down and hot cocoa waiting on the table.

"Your elves are great!" Neville said as they drank the cocoa and prepared for bed.

"It's Venus and Juno," Harry said. "They like to play 'housekeeping' when they get the chance."

_)**(_

SCENE: Neville's Morning

Harry rolled over in bed as he woke up the next morning. The room was bright with wizard lights and he stretched, checking the time on the clock on the small table beside the bed – Felicity encouraged him to keep a muggle manual alarm clock rather than using a spell every time he wanted to know the time.

He pulled on a dressing gown and wondered into the small kitchen to make tea but before he could find the tea pot, Venus popped into the room with a complete tray of tea, cream, and sugar.

"Morning Venus," Harry said as he sat at the table to fix a cup.

"Mr. Harry Potters be up lates this morning," the elf replied. "Mr Nevilles Greenthumb be with Healers Grossman in her office. You is to shower and dress and eats breakfasts before you goes to see them."

"Okay, Venus," Harry agreed. He lifted his teacup and asked, "Did you get this from Gringotts?"

"Yes, Mr. Harry Potters, elves know where to get foods at goblins bank. Now, whats do you want for breakfast?"

"Can I have pancakes with bacon and syrup, please?"

"Yes, Mr. Harry Potters. Does you want breakfast before or after you showers and dresses?"

"Before please…"

The little elf popped away and then back so quickly, Harry laughed aloud.

"Venus, how did you do that so fast?"

"Apollos tells us all to listen and whiles you talk, Juno cooks breakfasts for Venus to deliver," the elf replied as she sat the tray in front of Harry at the table. He dug into the stack of pancakes with butter and syrup, while demolishing the pile of bacon.

"Where's Hedwig this morning?" Harry asked as he finished the glass of milk the elf insisted her boy drink with his meal.

"Missy Feathers Hedwig Snowy Wings be in the nursery with the dragons, teaching them about wizard history this morning."

"History? Okay," Harry said as he left the table to dress and head for Felicity's office. As the elf cleaned away the dishes, he said, "Venus, thanks for breakfast. Tell Juno I really liked the bacon and pancakes! I have the best elves in the world!"

_)**(_

Fifteen minutes later, Harry ran along the hallways of Gringotts dodging dancing goblins and a few human employees. He smiled and greeted everyone by name if he recognized them. When he reached Felicity's office, he knocked and waited for almost a minute before the door opened. Inside he found Felicity, Neville and the new goblin from last night, Sharpknife.

"Morning Neville…" Harry said as he stepped inside but froze when he saw his friend's face. Neville was very nervous and the goblin was clearly agitated.

"What's wrong?"

Neville refused to look at Harry for a moment and Felicity stepped around her ward to close the door.

"Neville, Harry was abused too," the healer explained before she turned back to her 'patient' and said, "You've done nothing wrong! Your grandmother and great uncle will have to come to the bank and explain themselves today."

"Do I have to see them?" Neville asked.

"Not if you don't want to see them," Sharpknife growled. "They are beasts and will be treated as such."

"I don't ever want to see them again," the boy said quietly and Harry noticed the goblin nod in agreement.

"What happened?" Harry insisted on knowing.

Felicity sighed, "I'm a healer and my oaths make it impossible to see a child hurt and not help them. That's why Saint Mungo's doesn't want muggleborn children brought there for treatment. The healers would all be forced to help the children without regard to their blood status."

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Harry swore. "I despise this pureblood crap more every day!"

"Yesterday, I noticed Neville flinched when I touched his shoulder. Sharpknife and I convinced him to talk to me this morning and I ran my usual diagnostics on him."

Harry went to his friend to give him a brief, one-arm hug, before turning to his guardian while he kept the arm wrapped around the other boy's shoulders, "Is Neville okay? That's all I care about."

"Yeah, I'm going to be okay," Neville replied. "I have to take some potions while we're here for holiday and we have to talk with Miss Hedwig and the dragons alone."

Harry grinned. "Watch out for Death's snarky comments. He'll want to kill your grandmother, but you have to convince him not to go through with it."

"Why not?" asked Neville. "They wanted me dead often enough."

"The ministry will not let a 'creature' kill a wizard and live," Felicity explained.

"But Death and the other dragons are people… maybe not just like us but they're people."

_)**(_

Augusta Longbottom was the acknowledged Dowager Longbottom before her son was incapacitated ten years before. With Neville's age, she became his guardian, and took control of the Longbottom estate and seat within the Wizengamot; something she'd never done while her husband lived. She found she liked the power, making deals behind the scenes, and the occasional 'gift' for supporting different motions in the ministry.

She'd plotted for years to keep Neville away from the seat, thinking she could stay in power for the rest of her life if her grandson had no interest in the seat. Then her brother convinced her that the boy was a squib and they would have to find a distant relative to take up the title. Arthur was certain they could apply enough money to the deal to keep the 'new' Lord Longbottom away from London once Neville was settled with the muggles.

But in July, before his eleventh birthday, Neville received his letter from Hogwarts and Augusta sent him off to school. His letters from school came once a week with short listings of his activities for the past week. In the first letter, she been disgusted to read that Alice's son was sorted in Hufflepuff, like his mother. A true Longbottom scion would have been a Gryffindor.

His request to spend the holiday with a friend in London was welcomed – she'd have the elves provide him with a Christmas gift and not have to deal with him before next summer. She smiled with the prospect of meetings with the minister and other purebloods.

Just as she completed her preparations and gathered her clutch and handkerchief, an elf popped into her dressing room with a letter.

"Mistress Longbottom, a letters just arrived from goblinses," the little creature said and offered the letter.

"Open it for me," the dowager ordered as she fixed the last of the pins in her hair to hold the giant hat upon her head. The vulture still intimidated people left and right, even after twenty years. She'd worn the hat to Frank's wedding just to infuriate the woman her son married.

Augusta wore the hat often and enjoyed the memory of the look of embarrassment on Alice's face as she walked down the aisle; that particular memory made her smile at least once each day.

'_Small victories against a helpless enemy,'_ she sighed. In the last year, she'd stopped going to Saint Mungo's. There was nothing there to see, just a couple wasting away on their beds.

The elf broke the seal on the letter and opened it, glancing briefly at the writing before handing the letter to the distracted witch.

"Go," she ordered the elf who popped away to seek the other Longbottom elves.

Augusta read the letter twice, the first time not understanding the words clearly and after a moment she started again.

_)**(_

**Dowager Longbottom**

**A most serious threat to the Longbottom vaults and estate has been discovered this morning. We wish to bring it to your immediate attention. Come to Gringotts before 10:00AM.**

**Do not tell your brother! Do not bring Mr. Rosier with you.**

**Sharpknife, Keeper of the Longbottom Vaults **

_)**(_

"Don't tell my brother. Do those creatures think they can tell me what to do?" Augusta muttered as she rose, casting the letter aside as she hurried to the floo to fire call Arthur.

Once she told him of the letter's contents, her brother agreed to accompany Augusta to the bank and they planned to meet in front of the bank in ten minutes. It was already 9:30 and they wanted to dispose of the problem as quickly as possible.

The two apparated into the approved spot in Diagon Alley and immediately moved aside in case another traveller appeared in the same spot.

"What is this about?" Arthur demanded on his sister.

"I have no idea," Augusta admitted. "The letter said that a threat was discovered this morning to the vaults… Do you think it's a thief?"

"Most likely," Rosier admitted. "Let's get inside and find out what we have to do to put a stop to it."

_)**(_

At Longbottom Hall, the elf popped into Lady Augusta's room and popped out with the letter. The elves gathered in the kitchen to read and discuss the letter.

"Mistress Alice told us all bads luck would follow her and Mr Francis for all years of their lives," the head elf told the others. "We must protect Mr Neville Greenthumbs. Missy Alligator Roses will not hurt Mr Neville Greenthumbs again."

_)**(_

SCENE: Missy Alligator Roses

"Ah, Dowager Longbottom, I am glad you are prompt this morning," Sharpknife said as he bowed before the witch. "But you brought your brother…"

"I wanted my brother here with me," Augusta replied frostily. "Wizards and witches know what is best… you know this, surely."

The goblin smiled, his teeth gleaming in the light of his office.

"Certainly, and by the treaties between the Ministry for Magic and Gringotts Bank, one of the duties of goblins is to protect the vaults of each client. Longbottom is an ancient name, and well respected here in Gringotts. I believe it was your husband who…"

"Yes, yes," Augusta said as she waved the little 'man' to move along. "What is the threat to the Longbottom vaults?"

"And how can we deal with it, quickly," Arthur added.

The goblin bowed his head and asked, "Is it your wish for the threat to be dealt with quickly, Dowager Longbottom?"

"It is!" Augusta growled. "Hurry this along, or I shall be late to a meeting of the committee for taxation at the Wizengamot!"

"Very well," the account manager replied. "Dowager Longbottom, it was brought to my attention this morning that Heir Longbottom is in danger."

"Danger? What danger?"

Arthur growled, "What has the boy done this time? I told him if there was any trouble, he'd regret it!"

Sharpknife took a deep breath to take the scent of his enemies before him. Then he grinned as he said, "Dowager Longbottom, Arthur Rosier, I charge you both with attempted murder, attempted line theft, child abuse, and endangering the Longbottom vaults at Gringotts."

"What is your plea?" asked the goblin.

The sister and brother stood shocked for a long second that allowed the door to the office to be thrown open and a dozen guards with spears, knives and axes to pour into the room. These goblins grabbed the two and pulled them to the floor. Wands were quickly located as well as port keys, spare wands, and sharp hat pins. The infamous vulture hat fell to the floor and goblins trampled it as they subdued the witch and wizard with ropes and the blunt ends of their weapons.

"Release us!" demanded the wizard.

"How dare you lay hands on me! I'll have your heads for this! And I'll mount them on the wall in my library!" Augusta threatened as she was wrapped in real ropes that could not be vanished with wandless magic.

"What is your plea?" asked Sharpknife once again.

"I'll kill that boy!" swore Arthur Rosier and sealed his fate.

"Dowager Longbottom, what plea do you enter?"

"I won't plead to anything! You can't do this! Only the Wizengamot can try me! Not you!"

"You're in Gringotts. Our treaties with the ministry require us to safeguard the vaults of our clients."

The goblin produced a report that bore the official stamp of a healer and he waved it under Augusta's face.

"Your grandson bears scars from your beatings and from your brother's attempts to force magic out of him – or kill him. The boy could have died! And if Neville Francis Longbottom died without a recognized heir, the vaults and estate of the Longbottom family would be closed for a thousand years. That would hurt the profits here at the bank for many years to come."

"Gringotts cannot take that chance," Sharpknife continued. "After three requests for a plea without a proper response, I find you guilty of attempted murder, attempted line theft, child abuse and endangering the vaults at Gringotts. You shall spend the next ten years working in the depths of the bank as we dig deeper tunnels."

"No! You can't do this to me!" Arthur shouted. "I plead not guilty!"

"But Wizard Rosier, you just threatened the life of Heir Longbottom a moment ago," the goblin said. "With my own ears, I heard you say…"

"I'll pay you!" Augusta shouted. "Name your price and I will pay it!"

"From the Longbottom vaults? That is impossible to arrange," Sharpknife said sadly. "You are no longer the regent or guardian of Heir Longbottom. You have no funds to pay bribes…"

"No! No!" the woman shouted as she was dragged away with her brother close behind.

Sharpknife smiled as goblins entered his office to set it to rights and cleanse the air.

After a few minutes, Sowsbreath entered the office and asked, "Did the matter conclude as you wished?"

"Better than anticipated. She brought her brother with her as predicted and I bagged both predators in a single hunt."

The elderly goblin grinned and bowed, "Most excellent and I applaud your skill. Now, what about the uncle? Alice Marshall's older brother?"

"We have sent an urgent message to him in America, asking him to come meet with us about his nephew."

_)**(_

SCENE: New Diggers

Goblintosser paused with her bucket for only a moment when the overseer brought two new workers to the dig. She quickly shuffled to the conveyer belt to dump her bucket of dirt and return to fill it again – the pile of dirt and stone excavated never grew smaller but the spears the goblins carried always hurt when you grew slow or tried to stop.

The woman and man wore fine robes that were already filthy. They might try taking those warm robes off later and clean them or air them out – Goblintosser had learned that the first days were the best times to take warm clothes from the new workers – before they began to grow tougher.

The couple screamed at the goblins and were beaten again. She waited for her chance and when they collapsed on the ground, Goblintosser moved quickly to take their cloaks. Those robes would have magical charms to keep the wearer cool or warm. She'd trade one cloak for a larger share of supper and keep one to warm her at night.

The goblin overseer smirked and allowed Goblintosser to take the robes from the stunned wizard and witch. These two wouldn't last long here in the tunnels but Goblintosser was well on her way to being an asset at the dig – they'd condition her to keep the others in line and she'd choose to stay here for the rest of her life when her ten year sentence was up.

_)**(_


	31. Chapter 31

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Ragnock hosts a holiday dinner for some of Harry's friends and their parents. The families mix and mingle, while conversations begin. Then Harry introduces his friends to the babies.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 31 Holiday Dinners

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Dinner at Gringotts

The regular stream of customers from Diagon Alley dwindled away as London grew dark quickly in late December, and the weather was cold, so wizards and witches made their way home to warm hearths and beds.

"I wonder if they have central heating?" Elaine Granger asked her husband as they entered the Leaky Cauldron with their daughter. The Perks family waited for them inside the tavern and before they left for Diagon Alley, the Finch-Fletchley family joined them.

The six muggle parents were gratified to see their children talking as friends, and the three men noticed the wizards standing around them, providing protection from any curious magical folk.

"Mr. Finch-Fletchley, I'm Mike Pennington from Mr. Lovett's staff. We wanted to make certain there were no problems with your arrival," the wizard dressed in robes that were only slightly out of place in the muggle world.

"Oh, another wizard!" Gwendolyn grinned as she turned to her husband. "It's so exciting!"

"Mr Granger, Mr. Perks, if you will bring your families along, we'll get you to your appointment on time," Pennington said with a graceful motion of his arm toward the hidden doorway to Diagon Alley.

"Will we get to see these dragons tonight?" asked Mrs Perks. "Sally keeps insisting that her friend Harry has dragons here in London."

"I hope we get to see some magic…" Dan Granger said as his wish was granted; their escort tapped on the bricks of the backwall to melt the wall away and reveal the alley. There were few people about as darkness settled on the street but the wizard lights in shop windows were bright enough.

The bank building was bright with lights and the white marble shone against the night sky – a large contingent of goblin guards stood on the steps with their wicked spears and swords evident for everyone to see.

"Is this safe?" asked Mr Perks. "Those fellows look like they could handle an angry biker gang and not break a sweat."

Pennington grinned and explained, "You've just given the goblins a great compliment, sir. They'd love the chance to deal with a band of bad muggles – they don't feel that wizards are much of a challenge."

"Really? Even with magic?" asked Dan.

The goblin with medals on his breast explained, "Get your hands on a wizard, snap his wand, and you can kick him around the room like a sack of potatoes. They got no fight in 'em."

"That's why wizards try to remain respectful of goblins," Pennington explained as the escorts led the visitors into the bank. There were few customers in queues at this time of day but one of them was Alastor Moody, down in London for the day.

"Professor Moody!" Justin called out to his favourite professor.

"It's Professor Moody!" Hermione agreed and the two girls waved as Justin left his party to approach the elderly Auror.

Reaching Moody's side, Justin bowed respectfully and greeted the man, "Professor Moody, I am glad to see you this evening."

"Finch-Fletchley, what are you doing in Gringotts t?" the Auror asked, pleased that his student was demonstrating proper manners in front of other purebloods.

"My family and my friends have been invited to take dinner with Chief Ragnock and his ward, Harry Potter. Can I impose on you for a moment, professor? I would appreciate the opportunity to introduce you to my father and mother."

Certainly, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, take me to your parents," Alastor agreed as he gave up his place in the queue.

A pureblood wizard sneered as the Auror hobbled across the marble floor to meet 'mudbloods' and he whispered to another wizard in line, "You can't go anywhere in Diagon Alley without seeing mudbloods these days."

"Yes, they do seem to have a lot of money to spend in the shops," the other wizard replied. "I have often wondered about…"

"Oh, don't tell me, you want investigate the muggle world?"

The second wizard kept his face closed and his opinions even closer as the first wizard said, "Once you go out there, you'll never come back!"

_)**(_

As Justin and Professor Moody crossed the floor to the waiting group, Harry ran into the lobby, waving and greeting his friends.

Justin introduced Professor Moody to his mother and father while Harry introduced himself to the Grangers and Perks. Then Justin introduced the professor to Hermione's parents and Sally's parents while Harry met Mr and Mrs Finch-Fletchley.

Once introductions were complete, Harry issued the formal invitation, "Guests, Director Ragnock, chief goblin for all Gringotts invites you to his table for dinner. Be guest welcome within these walls."

Harry grinned at the DADA professor and added, "I invite you to attend Professor Moody. The director will have many questions regarding trolls and headmasters to ask you once he sees you with the party."

The prejudiced pureblood wizard frowned as the mudbloods, muggleborns, and elderly Auror were escorted into the depths of Gringotts. The private chambers were reportedly beautiful and richly decorated, and even more importantly, deals were struck between goblins and wizards at these dinners. An invitation to dine with the director…

'_The goblins are making secret agreements with mudbloods,' _the wizard decided._ 'I'll tell Malfoy and Nott! They'll stir up the ministry against the goblins.'_

_)**(_

Once they reached the director's office, Harry pushed the doors open and waved his guests inside. Justin saw Neville Longbottom talking with Susan Bones beside a table loaded with hors d'oeuvres and drinks for the crowd of humans and goblins. Miss Hedwig flew down to land on Justin's shoulder to chortle for just a moment before returning to her stand in the receiving line beside Healer Grossman.

Then, the newcomers were directed to a receiving line where Harry, Neville, and Susan hurried to take their places as 'hosts' for their classmate and the parents; Harry introduced the Grangers to Ragnock, then Ironstream, Sharpknife, and Sowsbreath representing Gringotts. Next, he introduced them to Healer Grossman, Hedwig Snowy Owl, Jasper Hewitt, Andrew Lovett, and finally to Remus Lupin.

Behind him, Neville introduced the Perks to each individual in the line and Susan made the introductions for the Finch-Fletchley family. Cyrus had met everyone but Sharpknife, the 'owl', and Lupin previously but he gave no indications of the earlier introductions.

At the end of the line, Harry explained, "Professor Lupin just completed a stint at Hogwarts working in the Greenhouses. He works for the guys from the government and will be here at Gringotts a lot so my account manager wanted you to meet him. He'll be one of the people to stay in touch with you."

"Excuse me, I have one more introduction to make," Harry said as he left the Grangers at the hors d'oeuvres table. The boy-who-lived hurried back to the line of guests to escort Professor Moody to Ragnock.

_)**(_

"Why is an owl in the receiving line?" asked Gwendolyn Finch-Fletchley as Susan made the introduction.

The young witch attempted to explain. "Miss Hedwig is Harry's familiar. She can talk to him and he translates her orders to us when she catches us misbehaving."

"Oh, that's nonsense," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley replied. "The boy's running a scam on you. If he's the only one who can understand the owl, how do you know it's talking?"

"Oh, no. Mom, please don't…" Justin begged, reaching up to touch his mother's arm.

"Justin, I can accept the wizards have powers and that the goblins are real, but talking owls is too much," Gwen told her son.

She looked at the healer and the two men from MI-5 before she asked, "Do you think she can talk?

Felicity nodded her head confidently. "Miss Hedwig and Harry do talk – she guides him very well and I wouldn't make any decision about his care without her input."

"What?" asked the surprized muggle woman.

"Mom!"

"Hush, Justin," Gwen turned toward the two men from MI-5. "And are you taken in by this side show?"

The older man replied, "Mrs Finch-Fletchley, when I turned eleven years old, I discovered that I was a wizard. Since then I have seen werewolves, dragons, elves, centaurs, unicorns… an intelligent owl able to communicate with her wizard doesn't surprize me."

Justin added, "And Miss Hedwig told us we'd learn how to understand her next year after we'd learned more magic."

Cyrus who has been involved in conversation with Sowsbreath and Sharpknife finally paid attention to his wife's conversation and interrupted her, to move the line along. When they reached the end of the line, and Susan introduced them to Remus Lupin, Gwendolyn asked the wizard, "And have you ever met any of these other creatures? Do they really talk?"

Remus who watched Harry and his owl for three months now and believed she did talk to her wizard, took a deep breath as he replied, "Indeed many magical creatures can talk, Mrs Finch-Fletchley. We have thoughts and dreams just like any other person."

Cyrus and his wife were taken aback by the wizard's comments but Susan smiled as Remus continued, "I'm a werewolf and a proud member of Her Majesty's Wolves, a special group in MI-5."

"But… you look like a real person…"

"He is a real person," Lovett interjected. "And he is a valuable member of Her Majesty's service too. Mr Lupin led the breakthrough for a cure for the curse of lycanthrope. He'll be knighted by the Queen this spring for his work."

"Sir Remus Lupin!" Susan grinned. "Can we come to the ceremony? Please! I've never known a knight before!"

Justin hid his face behind his hands as his father led his wife away to the refreshment table. Susan took Justin's arm and said, "Don't worry. So long as Miss Hedwig doesn't decorate your mother's gown, we'll be fine tonight."

"I have to apologise to Miss Hedwig," Justin insisted.

Susan nodded but when she glanced at the owl who turned toward the girl, Hedwig merely winked before turning back for the introduction to the Perks family.

"Miss Hedwig is okay and understands," Susan said. "She just winked at me so she'll not tear out your mom's hair at dinner."

_)**(_

"Director Ragnock, may I present Auror Alastor Moody to your notice? He's the great professor in the Defence Against the Dark Arts this fall, and my classmates and I recommend him to you."

"Indeed?" the director of the bank asked. "Our ward asked for a dinner to introduce parents of his muggleborn friends and to begin a support group. When I heard he'd asked his account manager to arrange such a dinner, I had to step up and make it a bank event."

Moody's eyes grew wide as Ragnock named Harry as a ward of the bank.

"And now he breaks protocol by bringing an extra guest to the table," Ragnock said as he grinned at the boy. "But Alastor Moody is a wizard with a reputation that proceeds him with tales of battles and fights with Dark Lords and their evil minions."

"Be guest welcome, Alastor Moody," Ragnock said offering his hand to the Auror.

"Thank you, Director Ragnock," Moody said as he shook the goblin's hand. Harry took Moody down the line and introduced him to goblins and wizards alike, leaving the professor with a million questions before they were even called to the dining room.

Across the room, Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE stared as Alastor Moody shook hands with the bank director. Such a thing was impossible to believe – Moody never shook hands with anyone – the man didn't trust anyone enough to shake hands. First, she was introduced to spies as if they were welcomed guests at Gringotts – MI-5 was an organization she'd never heard of but intended to investigate tomorrow. Now, her mentor from the department was being friendly with goblins – something was wrong in the world.

She moved to position herself near the end of the receiving line so she could assure herself this was truly the Auror who'd trained two generations of magical warriors.

_)**(_

SCENE: Conversations

When Ragnock led the way into the dining room and the guests were directed to their seats, Harry put Alastor Moody into his assigned seat beside Ragnock.

"If you give up your seat, where will you sit?" Moody asked the young wizard.

Harry just grinned. "I'm going to pretend to be Hedwig and fly about the room, talking to everyone."

There were four different tables and each one included a platform on one side where a goblin could sit in a properly sized chair at a table with human guests. Moody took Harry's seat at Ragnock's table with the Grangers, while the Finch-Fletchley family sat with Sowsbreath, and the Perks sat with Ironstream. The various wizards were scattered among the tables though Amelia Bones asked Lupin to change seats with her so she could sit near Moody.

This placed Remus beside Felicity Grossman at the table where the Finch-Fletchley family was seated. Gwen was too overwhelmed to be near to a real werewolf but Remus found himself enjoying the conversation with the healer he remembered as a pretty girl at Hogwarts.

Hedwig flew to the back of Sally-Anne's chair and Harry followed to talk with his classmate and her parents.

"Hedwig wants to compliment your dress, Sally. She says the colour is perfect for your complexion and hair," Harry said. "Does that make sense to you?"

"Yes. Thank you, Miss Hedwig. Your feathers always look perfect!" replied Sally with a grin on her face.

Then they moved to beside Hermione's chair with a similar conversation.

"Hedwig says that she wants you to put your hair up for the next party," Harry said. "What does that mean, anyway?"

Dan Granger asked, "Mr Potter, what's something your owl can tell you that you'd not know about? Something that proves she can talk?"

"Miss Hedwig, don't call him, 'that man', please," Hermione begged. "My father is learning about magic just like I did."

The owl nodded her head toward Hermione but then turned back to Dan Granger and tilted her head, first one way and then another. She hooted at Harry who turned pale before he said, "Hedwig says you just had eye surgery and the left eye is not healing properly. You need to return to the doctor tomorrow morning and have him treat it. You should wear an eye patch for a week or more to let it heal without light…"

Hedwig hooted and Harry continued, "…without light forcing the iris to focus too much."

Hermione looked up from her plate and asked, "What kind of surgery did you have, Daddy? You didn't say anything to me about this!"

_)**(_

SCENE: Clothes

After dinner when the families rose from the table to mingle for a while, Gwendolyn Finch-Fletchley approached her husband to discuss something she'd observed; something that bothered her.

"Cyrus."

"Yes dear."

"I thought you said the Grangers were well-to-do," the wife whispered.

"They are; they're both dentists in Crawley," Cyrus replied, a little confused by his wife's statement.

"But their daughter is wearing a dress off the rack, like the Perks girl. And the Bones girl wears a similar dress; nothing special."

Gwendolyn looked around a bit more before she added, "And Mrs Granger is dressed down as well. She and her husband are both dressed far below…"

"Gwen… what's the purpose of this dinner?" Cyrus asked his wife.

"To meet these goblins and other wizards that will help Justin in his career," his wife replied.

The man took her hand and said, "That is one of the reasons that you and I came to the dinner certainly. But this is also a chance for us to meet other parents of Justin's classmates."

He motioned toward the children, standing together to talk about holiday plans.

"The Bones girl has only an aunt who appears distracted and never noticed the girl at any point this evening. Longbottom doesn't have any family present and Sowsbreath hinted that there were recent developments there. The Potter boy has a guardian here at the bank. So, we are important to the students as examples of parents along with the Grangers and Perks."

"But…"

"What do we want for Justin?"

"For him to be happy and be successful," Gwen replied honestly.

"And he will be," Cyrus assured his wife. "But he's at a school in a world where you and I have no experience. His friends are important for his stability and learning to make good decisions."

As Justin's letters from school arrived via the snowy owl or a large brown owl during October and November, Cyrus paid close attention to the information about his son's friends and classmates. Once he had names and general information, he put a private investigative service to use gathering information on each family.

Motioning toward the Perks couple talking with Remus Lupin, Cyrus told his wife, "Perks is a self-made man with a successful car repair business. He works with his hands but is respected by his employees and local merchants. The wife is a nurse in hospital, works in the Emergency Department at hospital most days."

"The Grangers are successful dentists, well-respected in their profession," Cyrus continued.

"But their clothes…"

The banker smiled at his wife and said, "I imagine the Granger girl talked her parents into dressing down to make the Perks feel comfortable. Remember, whatever we wear, it appears strange to the wizards."

"I wish Justin had said something then," Gwen told her husband.

"He's a boy and I am certain it never crossed his mind."

_)**(_

SCENE: Visit the Dragons

After dinner, Harry and Neville spoke quietly with Felicity and Ironstream for a moment before the goblin went to Ragnock for a word. The director glanced around the room at the people gathered for the benefit of the boy-who-lived.

"I do enjoy keeping people off balance," Ragnock whispered to Ironstream. "But I do not want all these people to visit the lower levels… Allow me make a suggestion."

After a few moments of discussion, Ironstream bowed to the director and returned to Harry, Neville and Felicity. After more instruction with the boys nodding in understanding, Ironstream turned around and with his knife, cast a spell that sounded a bell in the room and caught everyone's attention.

"Good witches and wizards, ladies and gentlemen, the Director invites all the adults to adjourn to the lounge next door for after-dinner cocktails."

He motioned to the boys and said, "Heir Potter and Heir Longbottom will entertain the children with a tour of the bank. Healer Grossman, perhaps you would act as escort?"

"Certainly, Account Manager Ironstream, but… may I ask Mr Lupin to accompany us? I know he's never had a tour of the bank either," Felicity asked without glancing at the wizard she'd named.

Ironstream glanced back at the director who sniffed but didn't object so Remus would receive the full tour of the bank. 

"A tour of the bank? At night?" asked Hermione.

"It'll be very exciting Hermione," Neville promised while Harry grinned.

The adults left, and the children with their two chaperones left just as quickly, hurrying toward the vault carts.

"Where are we going?"

"To meet the babies," Harry explained.

"Babies?" Sally-Anne asked. "Whose babies?"

"The baby dragons," Harry explained. "They're about four months old and I want to introduce you to them."

"I want to see! I want to see!" exclaimed Hermione, Sally, Susan, and Justin.

"Dragons? Real honest-to-God dragons?" Remus asked Felicity only for the healer to grin as his face turned pale.

"They're perfectly well behaved and they love Harry. He's their big brother," she replied.

"How long as Gringotts had dragons in London?" Hermione asked as they hurried toward the carts that would carry them into the lowest chambers below the bank.

"No clue," Harry replied. "We can ask Ironstream tomorrow."

Hedwig watched silently before she flew to land beside Felicity. When the healer motioned him to come there, Harry hurried over and translated the owl's instructions to the healer.

"Excuse me everyone," Felicity interjected into the voices of the excited children. Harry told his guardian what the owl wanted said.

The witch smiled as she addressed the crowd, "Miss Hedwig wants me to tell you that the dragons are very young – only four months old. They will be your friends for many years to come and this is the unique opportunity to meet them while they are very young."

Felicity smiled at Harry and said, "For myself, I trust Harry and Neville's safety with the dragons over Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of their school. Harry was there when the dragons hatched and he was the first person to talk with them."

"Once they learn English, they'll be able to talk with everyone," Harry said. "That's what we want to teach them next summer."

"Whatcha is interested in the multiplication tables," Neville announced. "Hermione, you're right about mathematics being a common language; the concept of ten is the same in Parsel, English and Garfish."

"I knew it!" Hermione said but before she could begin a conversation with Neville about numbers, they were directed toward the carts on the tracks that would take them deep under the back. The party piled into carts driven by expert goblins but the girls and boys still screamed with excitement as the carts flew along the tracks.

_)**(_

Once they arrived at the 'nursery' and patted down their hair, Neville turned and said, "Hermione, you'll like Whatcha. He's taken to numbers like a niffler to gold."

The children walked toward the entrance of the dragon quarters where a large dog suddenly appeared, his tail wagging to see Harry, Neville, and Felicity. From deeper in the quarters came the greetings of Hagrid and his four 'children'. The owl appeared overhead, flew into the quarters hooting, and being answered with laughter from the dragons.

Hearing that sound of welcome, Harry, Neville, Sally, Justin, and Susan disappeared into the chamber while Hermione hesitated only one moment before running after them.

Once in the dragon pits, Remus glanced at Felicity and the healer answered the man's unasked questions, "The children are safer in there than any other place in magical Britain. The dragons like goblin and human children to visit. Every goblin child takes lessons here as they try and teach the dragons to speak their language."

Remus stared as Justin and Sally-Anne draped themselves over the neck of a bright red dragon, rubbing the creature's scaled neck. The four dragons were the size of small ponies, each a different colour.

Hermione and Neville discussed numbers with a silver dragon, both children touching the dragon's neck. Susan Bones sat on the neck of a green dragon while a gold dragon leaned close as Harry Potter rubbed the necks of both dragons.

A giant man sitting in a huge chair as he called, "Welcome! Welcome, everyone!"

The large dog sniffed each new person and then leaned against Remus's leg. Hedwig sat on a ledge and watched everyone for a long time before she flew down to Harry's shoulder.

"Sure," he replied to a question from the owl. Turning around to the parents, Harry grinned and rubbed the neck of the green dragon.

"Please allow me to introduce my friends to you," he announced.

Smiling at the green dragon, he said, "This is Swampbreath."

Then he ran his hand down the neck of the golden dragon and said, "This is Flatfoot."

Sally-Anne left the red dragon to step closer and hug the golden dragon's neck. Moving closer to the red dragon, Harry said, "This is Deathrider."

"I like that name," Justin said as the dragon rumbled with pleasure.

Now Harry continued to the side of the silver dragon with Hermione and Neville where he said, "And this fellow is Whatchamacallit, the future mathematician."

_)**(_

Remus Lupin grinned watching the four children talking and touching the dragons. From his side, Felicity Grossman said, "Come along, I'll introduce you."

"Swampbreath, let me introduce you to one of children's teachers from Hogwarts. This is Remus Lupin who helped to keep the children safe from the troll," she said as introduction and all four dragons leaned closer to catch the smell of the wizard.

"Hello Miss Swampbreath," Remus said slowly.

"You'll have to touch her neck," Felicity said. "They want to be touched."

"Came out of the shell wanting to climb all over me and Harry, they did," Hagrid said with a smile on his face at the memory. "They slept on top of Fang for a week and still make a dragon and dog pile every night."

His hand trembling just a bit, Remus reached out and touched the green scales of the dragon's neck. They were soft and warm to the touch, he relaxed as a bit of magic reached from the dragon into his core and recognized the wolf therein. Taking a deep breath to capture more of the wizard's scent, Swampy hissed happily in parsel and drew her three siblings, Harry and Hedwig closer.

"Swampy says that your wolf smells good and she wants to meet him someday soon," Harry interpreted the dragon's words. "She wants you as a tutor for English when I go back to school."

Harry glanced at Felicity who shrugged and said, "I will speak to Ironstream about including Mr Lupin on the teaching staff here at Gringotts for the babies."

Felicity smiled and planned to spend more time with the dragons when Remus was present. The werewolf proceeded to touch each dragon and Death lay his neck across Lupin's shoulders which made Harry hiss angrily.

Remus recognized the dominance move by the alpha male of the four young dragons and he responded as if the dragon was a young member of his wolfpack, pushing the head off his shoulder forcefully and growling in a very low tone, the adult telling the cub to behave properly. Death hissed and lowered his head to the floor as Remus reached down and lifted it back up to his side, then stroking the dragon's neck in approval.

_)**(_


	32. Chapter 32

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Justin's family hosts another dinner where the parents share information. Sowsbreath begins working with Lovett on the pensieve memories. The children visit the dragons for English lessons and then after Christmas, Ironstream arranges a surprize for Harry and Neville.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 32 Parent Association

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Parents Begin Talking

Dan and Elaine Granger were suspicious about 'dragons' at Gringotts, especially when their daughter returned to them that evening smelling of sulphur. Their discussion on the way home covered many topics about her friends, the goblins, and wizards but the Grangers kept returning to the danger of the dragons.

"The dragons don't breathe fire all time," Hermione replied as if that explained everything.

When Harry and Neville came to go to the movies with Hermione and Sally, the two boys were accompanied by the 'healer' and the 'werewolf', Felicity and Remus, who assured the parents that the children were safe around the dragons at the bank. Once again, Felicity expressed her opinion that the children were safer around the dragons than around the headmaster of their school.

Now three days later, the Grangers travelled to a larger gathering at the London home of Justin Finch-Fletchley. Others invited tonight included the Patil, McMillian, Abbot, Bone, Corner, and Perks families.

In the opulent muggle home, the magical parents appeared just as lost as the muggle parents had at Gringotts but it was soon apparent that Gwendolyn Finch-Fletchley was a thoughtful hostess as she greeted everyone personally, paired mothers together and directed all the fathers toward the bar. Cyrus drafted Lovett, Hewitt, Pennington and Lupin to mix with the muggle and magical fathers, and foster conversations without anyone insulting another person.

Then Cyrus directed conversations toward working together to protect the children as Lovett mentioned efforts to help all the students with muggle studies; McMillian and Abbot were interested in the maths and English classes for their children. Perks talked about engine repair with Corner – the wizard had three antique cars a half-blood grandfather bought in the 1930s.

The mothers quickly covered fashion; Gwendolyn wore something new from Paris tonight and all the ladies were interested in the cut, material and style.

"It looks so comfortable!" Mrs Abbot said as her traditional robes weighed her down.

"And the colours are perfect for your complexion," Mrs Granger complimented their hostess.

Mrs Patil was particularly interested in undergarments – her girls shared their stories about Hermione's 'silk small clothes'. The ladies planned a shopping excursion after the mad rush for Christmas to purchase the soft garments for their daughters and themselves.

Then the mothers turned toward the subject of protecting their children at Hogwarts and began sharing ideas.

The butler – the magicals had been astonished to see a person as a servant but kept their opinions to themselves – appeared and announced, "Ms Felicity Grossman, Mr Harry Potter, Mr Neville Longbottom, and Mr Douglas Marshall."

Cyrus and Gwendolyn approached the new arrivals to greet them as Justin hurried over.

Neville said, "I hope it's not a problem, but my uncle from America arrived this morning, and he's interested in meeting my friends."

"Your uncle is certainly welcome, Mr Longbottom," Gwendolyn replied as she smiled at the boy. After the dinner in Gringotts, Justin spent the next morning talking about his friends with both of his parents, and Gwendolyn finally agreed to be polite to the owl, all other magical creatures, and people.

"Miss Hedwig appears to be absent tonight, Mr Potter. Is she well?" asked Cyrus.

Harry grinned and explained, "She decided to remain with the dragons and give them a quiz on spells that wizards use to subdue dragons at the preserves."

Remus asked, "Why would she do that?"

"The babies are in Gringotts to protect the vaults from thieves. If the dragons recognize the spell before it is cast, they can take…" he looked at Neville and asked, "What was the word that Hedwig used?"

"Countermeasures… Whatcha and the others were going to figure out what countermeasures to use."

Harry grinned, "They want some wizards to come down and practice with them. I can't wait to see that battle."

_)**(_

Douglas Marshall, an architect in America, was pleased to meet some normal people in Britain. The last 24 hours had been interesting and stressful. His wife and children remained at home and he didn't want to be separated from them for long during the holidays but his sister's only child was suddenly accessible and the goblins had made him Neville's magical guardian.

"So, Marshall, what do you do for a living?" asked Cyrus.

"I'm an architect."

"Muggle or magical?" asked Mr Abbot.

"Both," the newcomer replied. "In America, magical folks live along side mundane folks. We have our own shopping areas and government offices, but many of our homes are next to mundane families."

"Doesn't that create problems for both types of folks?"

"We work very hard to protect the statue of secrecy," Marshall explained. "Generally, the Aurors deal with unruly teenagers sternly and we're tough on anyone who repeats an offense."

"Do you have a prison like Azkaban?"

"No," the American wizard responded immediately.

"And you graduated from Hogwarts I understand, but left Britain just a couple years later. Why did you immigrate across the pond?" asked Cyrus to diffuse the previous question.

"I fell in love with a muggleborn witch. My parents and my sister's husband were very unpleasant about it. So, we left. The Americans hold more with achievement for the individual than the bloodline. My wife and I are very happy, we both have good jobs, and our children are happy."

"And now?" asked Abbot again. "Why are you back?"

"Gringotts sent a representative to meet with us and told us about Neville's situation. I came to visit because my nephew needs me."

"Are you taking Neville back to America?" Lovett asked.

Marshall hesitated for a moment but then said, "I thought about it at first but he's got a good support system now with Gringotts and his friends. He'll come visit us next summer but he can continue with Hogwarts for now."

Abbot asked, "So what happened with the grandmother?"

The wizards paid close attention when Marshall replied, "I viewed the healer's report and the account manager's memories. That woman abused him and allowed others to abuse Neville. The account manager decided that she was a threat to the vaults in Gringotts and removed her as family guardian."

"Removed?" asked Cyrus. "That sound ominous."

Mr McMillian snorted and explained, "If she threatened the vaults, and the goblins judged her, she's imprisoned in their tunnels to dig for the next ten years. Some wizards survive but not all."

"And the magical government can't help her?" asked Mr Perks.

Abbot and Marshall both shook their heads while McMillian explained, "Gringotts is a separate nation; you fall under their laws while you're inside their walls."

"The boy doesn't seem upset about losing his grandmother," observed Mr Abbot.

"There was persistent abuse," Marshall replied. "I would have challenged her to a duel and killed her if the goblins didn't already have her locked away. For ten years she denied me any visits with my sister's son and the ministry refused to help me. I'm thankful the goblins did – even if it was just to protect their profits."

Abbot and McMillian exchanged glances and moved away to whisper about the loss of Augusta Longbottom in the Wizengamot.

"Dumbledore will lose a vote with her gone…"

"Who will take her place?"

"Marshall?"

"No, he'll go back to America. Let's steer him toward someone neutral…"

"Greengrass could hold the seat and vote neutral."

While the men discussed politics and potential candidates to take the Longbottom seat, and the women discussed the safety of their children, the children talked about their classes, plans to visit Gringotts and play with the dragons, and items to bring back to Hogwarts for the new year.

_)**(_

SCENE: Working with Memories

In his office as head of the curse-breakers, Sowsbreath sat back in his chair and watched as Mr Lovett processed the news that the pensieve on the desk held thousands of memories from Dumbledore and many other persons from Magical Britain.

"This pensieve gives Gringotts the opportunity to build a comprehensive portrait of the wizard we judge to be a great threat to Magical Britain and the Statue of Secrecy," the goblin explained as the wizard from MI-5 sat still, his own thoughts racing. "We know you have better tools – these 'computers' – to process the information once we complete gathering it…"

"And we can make the notes neater, copied…" Lovett began to say before he stopped.

The wizard took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want for this information?"

Sowsbreath smiled with all of his teeth showing, a goblin's threat display. "We only ask for your help in identifying and collating the information. I don't have enough wizards to spend weeks or months viewing each memory, writing up the details, and storing the memories in an organized fashion."

"It will take a team," Remus Lupin said. "One or two wizards would be overcome with the personality of the headmaster… And they'd overlook important details."

"Yes," Lovett agreed. "We need to rotate a few teams. Set standards of always two people viewing each memory…"

"And there will be secrecy requirements," the goblin added while both wizards nodded. "Any and all memories of the bank's ward, Harry Potter, are to be separated and not viewed."

"That in itself is an important clue," Remus said. "Is there…"

"Nothing to be discussed, speculated, or written about! Without exception!" warned Sowsbreath. "This is a requirement from the boy's guardians." 

"I thought the healer is Harry's only guardian," Remus mentioned thinking of the healer. She'd impressed him with her knowledge about Gringotts, and her care of the boy.

"Ragnock, the director of Gringotts, made Heir Potter a ward of the bank. We'd go to war to protect the boy."

Lovett smiled and agreed. "My wizards and I will cooperate fully. Since all work is to occur here at Gringotts, may I provide some manual typewriters to create labels for the memory vials."

"Yes," Sowsbreath agreed. "Healer Grossman mentioned this muggle devices as helpful. We use memory trees but each memory is labelled by hand."

With a wave of his hand, Sowsbreath revealed a previously glamoured storage cabinet. He rose from his seat to cross the office to the table and open the doors, revealing a crystal structure that resembled a bare tree with multiple memory vials hanging from different 'branches'.

"This goblin magic sorts the memories by time," he explained and motioned toward the bottom of the 'tree'. "The oldest memories are here at the bottom while the newer memories are at the top. They are colour coded by people."

The goblin lifted a vial that lay on the table and approached the cabinet, placing the vial on a branch where it turned bright red and moved toward the bottom of the tree.

"That shade of red represents Dumbledore's memories of Grindelwald." Sowsbreath snarled before he added, "There must be the strongest oaths for your wizards before they view these memories."

"Why?" asked Lovett and Sowsbreath frowned before both wizards quickly made unbreakable oaths to protect the secrets.

Sowsbreath took a deep breath and explained slowly, "Gellert Grindelwald is still alive! Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to kill his lover after the wizard laid waste to the whole of Europe both magical and mundane."

Both wizards were caught off guard by the statement – it was as if the BBC announced that Adolph Hitler was alive and living in a Salzburg, Austria.

"The madman is imprisoned in a castle that Dumbledore visits once a year to gloat and reminisce about their adventures as teenagers a hundred years ago."

Lovett and Lupin remained silent for a time.

Eventually, Lupin asked, "Will one tree hold all the memories?"

"Of Dumbledore, yes," the goblin replied. "It will grow to be as large as needed and it will also allow us to duplicate the memories. With magic, a copy of the tree is updated in another branch of the bank each day."

"Where?" Remus asked.

Sowsbreath frowned again and replied, "That's part of our security – none of the wizards working with the memories will know where the 'backup' is located."

Lovett nodded. "Good planning."

"Why aren't any goblins viewing and cataloguing the memories?" asked Remus and Lovett remained silent. It was an interesting question.

"I have viewed many of the memories as I am head of the curse-breakers but the average goblin would be driven into a blood rage by what we've already seen in Dumbledore's memories," Sowsbreath replied.

"The survival of Grindelwald alone would bring war back to the whole of Europe – five goblin banks and their inhabitants died in the conflagrations the war brought to many cities and our population has not recovered."

"I didn't know the war touched goblins," Remus admitted. "The history class at Hogwarts and the books are lacking it appears."

Sowsbreath nodded, "The muggles destroyed Gringotts Coventry, Gringotts Hamburg, Gringotts Berlin, and Gringotts Leningrad with bombing and shelling. Grindelwald and his wizards destroyed Gringotts Vienna themselves just for spite when they realized they were going to lose the war."

Lovett nodded and said, "If Gringotts London needs anything from Her Majesty's government, such as updated maps with locations of secret castles, Ragnock need merely ask…"

_)**(_

SCENE: English Lessons

Early in the morning, Harry brought his friends to the 'nursery' as soon as they arrived. Susan immediately ran forward and she was followed by Sally-Anne, Hermione, Neville, and Justin. Harry remained with Ernie, Padma, and Michael to make introductions with each dragon.

Hermione and Neville talked about maths as Whatcha listened and nodded, while Sally and Susan talked about fashions with Swampy. The math students were talking about algebra and the others were talking applying cosmetics around Swampbreath's eyes to highlight them. Justin spoke of the spells the children had learned with Flat and Death.

Padma gravitated toward the maths conversation, while Ernie and Michael joined Harry and Justin in the discussion about spells. From the doorway, Douglas Marshall stood and watched the crowd of children crawling over the dragons – four dragons underneath London. Felicity came to stand beside the American wizard as Hedwig flew overhead into the cavern.

Motioning toward the dragons, the wizard asked the healer, "The dragons are part of security for Gringotts?"

"Each dragon breathes fire, and we believe they have some magic but they're keeping their spell secrets," Felicity replied. "There've been no intrusions in the months since they hatched."

"The picture of a bunch of kids climbing over them would make a thief thinking about trying his luck," Marshall said.

Death overheard the conversation, took one step forward, and blew a smoke ring that settled on the wizard's form and surrounded him, leaving him blind for a long minute. When the smoke cleared, Marshall found himself next to the heads of three dragons, each one grinning with sharp teeth.

"Death, my uncle hasn't met you before," Neville said. "Please don't hurt him."

"Won't hurt wizard belongs to friend Neville," Flat said in broken English. "Whatcha likes maths and Neville too much."

"Gringotts is very safe with our four dragons," Harry affirmed as everyone celebrated the first sentence in English by the young dragons.

_)**(_

SCENE: Flying with New Brooms

On Boxing Day, Harry and Neville woke up late, dressed and ate breakfast with happy elves, and then walked to Ironstream's office with they found Sharpknife, Felicity and Doug Marshall. The two goblins grinned without showing teeth this morning and the two boys bowed respectfully.

"Young wizards, Gringotts has a request of your time today," Ironstream announced. "Heir Potter and Heir Longbottom, with the consent of your guardians, we have entered an agreement with Cleansweep, a broom manufacturer here in Britain. In return for the opportunity to make photographs of two young heirs riding their brooms, the company will provide a dozen new brooms to the school for your flying lessons the rest of the year."

"Flying? Brooms?" asked the excited boys. "Hedwig'll love it!"

"We're going to Lord Greengrass's home to meet your friends. The story of the flying formations at Hogwarts have reached the press and with the sponsorship of the broom manufacturer, Gringotts will get good press, Hogwarts gets new brooms, and you get to spend the afternoon flying."

"Yes! Yes!" both boys declared as they laughed. Apollo popped into the room with the cloaks and gloves for the boys and Felicity. Ironstream and Sharpknife led the group to the floo where everyone took turns stepping through the flames to a large room at the Greengrass home.

Once out of the house, Ironstream and Sharpknife were joined by Cleanhook, the goblin account manager for the Greengrass family as introductions were made. When introduced to Clarence Nott, the grandfather of Hogwarts firstie Theo Nott who was learning maths with Neville and Hermione, Felicity drew her wand.

"Healer, there is a peace bond on this house," Ironstream announced. "Mr Nott knows to draw his wand today will end his magic in the most painful manner possible but leave him alive as muggle."

Felicity hissed, "You should have warned me! This man's son was among the Deatheaters that murdered my family."

Harry left his friends to stand beside his guardian, his wand sliding into his hand. The wizards noticed as Neville and his uncle moved to stand beside Harry; both Nott and Ogden made certain everyone saw their hands were away from their sides without wands in them.

"Peace!" repeated Ironstream. "Mr Nott is just one representative of Cleansweep. Lord Ogden is the other."

Sharpknife looked at Ogden and asked, "Lord Ogden, why did you bring Nott today?"

"His grandson is friends with Heir Longbottom and with the muggleborn, Miss Granger. The boy begged to be included in the group to fly with the 'Great Speaker' today," Lord Ogden explained. "His grandfather granted the request with the proviso of witnessing the spectacle himself."

Clarence Nott was an elderly wizard and life had beaten him down but he humbly bowed before Felicity and said, "Healer, my son's mistakes are my burden to bear, but I will not pass them along to his son. Theo is much taken with 'maths' and speaks highly of your ward, and his friends including the muggleborn. I am willing to watch and learn."

"Very well," Felicity said as her wand was put away. Harry's green eyes flashing brightly as more children arrived through the floo with their parents.

"Harry! Neville!" greeted their regular crew. The parents, muggle and magical, were once again thrown into an unfamiliar environment as Lord Ogden, Mr Nott and Theodore handed out a dozen brooms to the children.

The photographer from the Daily Planet made many photographs of the children with the brooms, the goblins and the representatives of the broom manufacturer. The host, Lord Andrew Greengrass, toasted the adults with hot drinks under a covered porch with heating charms.

While the children were flying, the parents would continue the process of building a network to communicate news from Hogwarts and bring pressure to bear on the Wizengamot to force change in the school.

"I believe we have enough photographs," Ironstream said after fifteen minutes and a hundred photos. "The children came to fly."

The parents continued talking while Felicity caught the attention of the children and announced, "Now, you may fly for twenty minutes but then you have to land for new warming charms and to allow Ogden and Nott to check each of the brooms. No arguments."

"Yes, Felicity. Yes Healer. Yes, Ms Grossman," the children agreed.

Running toward the open field behind the house, Harry and the others lifted off, one after the other, to begin slow sweeps around the edge of the field. From the house, Daphne and Astoria walked out with their personal brooms. Their father gave them the same instructions for twenty minutes flying, and then landing for new heating charms before the two girls rose into the air and joined the other children flying in every direction at once.

"How do they keep from colliding?" Cyrus asked watching the small crowd of children flying on brooms above the wintertime gardens and field.

Clarence Nott watched his grandson sweep by with the muggleborn girl in close pursuit; Theo laughing with joy as he explained, "The brooms have avoidance charms and the natural magic in a wizard lets them know when anyone flies close."

"Look!" announced Mr Granger as the children began to follow Harry.

_)**(_

SCENE: Flying with Dragons

Without warning, Hedwig appeared in the middle of the air, hooting to Harry; once he located her, the boy-who-lived grinned, flew his broom next to his familiar and hovered.

"Can the brooms just hover like that?" asked Elaine Granger.

"Yes, but not that still… not for someone without years of flying experience," Ogden said.

Suddenly, four shapes appeared in the centre of the field directly below Harry and Hedwig; at the manor house, various adults fainted, drew their wands, or shouted. The four dragons from the depths of Gringotts had popped into the backyard of Lord Greengrass.

Before anyone could act, Rubeus Hagrid popped into the space just off the porch and shouted at his children, "I'm taking away yer math time tonight! I told ye Harry was perfectly safe flying with his friends!"

The half-giant turned toward Ironstream and said, "It's those Potter elves sir. Miss Hedwig gave them the idea to bring the babies here to see Harry fly."

"The elves? Harry's elves?" asked Felicity before she hurried into the centre of the field followed by Hagrid, the parents, broom company representatives, and goblins.

"Well, it might have been all the elves at Gringotts… They all like Harry and the babies ye know," Hagrid explained with a shrug.

Sharpknife shook his head and turned on Ironstream, shouting, "You were so certain this would be perfect! Now, Ragnock will chop off our heads!"

"No," Ogden interrupted them. "When the children land, we make more photos of the children with the dragons and the brooms… The new 'Dragon Wing' broom… We'll sell a thousand brooms before spring returns; even more overseas…"

The photographer grinned and added, "We'll make posters of the flight and of the kids with the dragons. Everyone will buy them."

"With Gringotts' name on each poster along with Cleansweep Brooms," Ironstream announced.

As Ironstream schemed to turn the appearance of the dragons into a marketing coup, Cleanhook growled and said, "Now, Ragnock will chop off your heads because you didn't invite him to attend."

The children landed around the dragons and though Theo, Daphne and Astoria held back, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff firsties ran up to the four dragons, hugging their necks and telling them about flying with the owls and birds.

Miss Hedwig landed on Flat's back and began hooting and waving her wings about, giving everyone directions. Sent back at the house, the parents, Hagrid and goblins watched the children spread out and take positions in front of each dragon.

Realizing what was about to happen, Felicity prayed, "Oh, Harry, be careful."

Slowly, Harry Potter and Hedwig rose from the ground, followed by their friends from Hogwarts. From the surrounding woods, birds flew to join the formation. Then magical post owls began popping into the air and joining the flight of brooms in gentle turns, first rising and then falling back toward the earth. As the owls and other birds joined the children, the green dragon rose from the ground, followed by the red, silver and golden dragons.

"How… They'll be thrown about in the air! Stop!" shouted parents who were ignored. Harry, Hedwig, the children, and birds lead the four dragons around the field, their speed in the air was slow at first.

"What are they doing?" asked Mr Perks watching his daughter fly with her friends, a hundred owls and other birds, and four dragons.

"Harry, Hedwig and their friends are teaching the babies to fly," announced Hagrid proudly. "Just like any big brother should do!"

The flight of brooms, wings and dragons grew faster and began to climb, bank away, and finally to roll through the cold winter afternoon. The magical people could feel the wave of magic first but as it grew stronger, even the muggles felt the joy shared by the flyers as they followed Harry Potter through the air.

"It's magic!" declared Sharpknife. "They're conjuring wards or something…"

The magicals looked at Lord Greengrass, the wizard had tears streaming down his face. Andrew explained, "Our wards are soaking up the magic. It's beautiful!"

"Look at them!" Elaine Granger said, stepping into her husband's embrace as the flight passed overhead, leaving sparklers to fall from the air around them.

_)**(_

When twenty minutes passed, Felicity sent Hagrid out into the field to wave the flyers down to the ground. Without hesitation, dragons fell out of formation to land on the field and wrap their necks around their 'father'.

"Fang'll be proud of ye," Hagrid told his dragon children. "Ye're beautiful and ye' magic is strong."

"Great Speaker makes us strong," Whatcha explained.

When the children landed with grins stretching from ear to ear, they ran to their parents or guardians to tell about flying with dragons. The photographer and goblins remained out of the way for a time before beginning to cast warming charms on everyone – muggle and magical – and then requesting time for a new set of photographs with the dragons in the pictures.

Ironstream, Sharpknife, Harry, Neville, Hagrid and the four dragons posed for a photo as Cleanhook repeated his claim, "The director will chop you into little bits for not inviting him here today…"

More photos were made for each family with the dragons and with the brooms prominently displayed. Finally, Lord Greengrass called for his elves to bring refreshments and the children drank hot chocolate while their parents drank something a little stronger.

"Who would have thought Sally would get to fly with dragons," Perks said and noticed Ernie's magical father nod in agreement.

"I never thought I'd see the day Ernie would fly with dragons, let alone speak with them."

As the children prepared to fly once again, Hedwig made a request. Harry listened for a moment and then nodded, "Of course! Apollo! Potter elves to me!"

The little elves popped into the field and Harry quickly asked his classmates, "Guys, can one of my elves ride with you on your broom?"

"Sure," Susan said as the other children nodded. Then each Potter elf popped to sit behind a child. Finally, Hedwig hooted one more time and every elf in Gringotts appeared in place on the back of a dragon. Each child had a single elf on their broom while each of the dragons had ten or more elves.

Now Sowsbreath agreed with Sharpknife, "Yes, Ragnock will take your heads…"

"Shut up both of you," Ironstream growled. "Cleanhook, I'll send you a bill for a thousand galleons for improving the wards at Greengrass manor and make a full million galleons more selling warding services this summer. Sowsbreath, think of the heart attacks you can cause in the ministry when these pictures are published – Fudge, the Unspeakables, the Wizengamot – how many will drop dead from shock?"

Then Ironstream silently watched the wizards present; Ogden and Nott were dark wizards, while McMillian, Corner and Greengrass were staunchly neutral in all matters of dark versus light magic. The five wizards were dealing with the power of the boy-who-lived rather well and might be allies as Gringotts attempted to force some modernization on the wizards. He had a carrot – four fire breathing carrots and a 'Great Speaker' in fact – to dangle before them.

_)**(_

In the air, Harry 'felt' the others behind him and he let his magic flow into the air as it mixed with magic from his friends, the elves, the owls and the dragons. The flock began to blend together and Justin led them for a few minutes, then Death, then Susan, and finally Hedwig through contortions, rolls, and sweeps. In each minute, Harry's grin remained and his eyes glowed as his magic spread across the sky with his friends flying through the air of the cold December afternoon.

_)**(_

After an additional twenty-minutes in the air with children, elves and dragons, Hedwig directed the flight back to the ground. The children told the dragons and elves 'good-bye' just before the elves popped the dragons and Hagrid back to the nursery underneath Gringotts. The children walked across the grass with their brooms to return them to Mr Nott and Lord Ogden.

The two wizards felt the magic that had been absorbed by each broom – the devices were practically indestructible now. Hogwarts would have safe brooms for the children for a least twenty years!

"Thank you, Mr Nott," Hermione said with a small curtsy as she returned the broom she'd been riding. "We had a wonderful time flying on the brooms."

The dark wizard smiled and gave the young muggleborn witch a bow, "You're most welcome, Miss…"

"Granger, Grandfather," Theo said. "This is my friend, Hermione Granger."

"Yes, Miss Granger," the grandfather respectfully repeated as he bowed to the young muggleborn.

Ironstream continued to ignore Sharpknife and Cleanhook as Lord Greengrass led everyone back into the house where they could use the floo to return to Gringotts.

Daphne, Astoria and Theo thanked the other firsties for allowing them to fly with them and for the introduction to the dragons. Harry and his friends hoped this meant they had more friends at Hogwarts.

_)**(_

In the next chapter the Daily Prophet coverage of the dragons flying with Harry Potter and other children shakes up Magical Britain. Dumbledore attempts to move against the bank but gets into trouble in the Wizengamot.

Harry and Hedwig return to Hogwarts with their friends and everyone exchanges letters with the dragons.


	33. Chapter 33

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter the Daily Prophet coverage of the dragons flying with Harry Potter shakes up Magical Britain. Dumbledore plans to move against the goblins but gets into trouble in the Wizengamot. Harry and Hedwig return to Hogwarts with their friends and everyone asks lots of questions.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 33 Changes and Questions

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Reaction to Flight of Dragons

After the reporter and photographer returned from their assignment to photograph Harry Potter flying on a new Cleansweep broom, the desk editor reviewed the pictures and the story with growing excitement. The 'top' reporter, Rita Skeeter, was on Christmas holiday, and the wizard assigned to the story was a relatively new employee who wanted to make a good impression on the editor and the wizarding public with an accurate story of the momentous event.

Once the story was complete, the desk editor contacted the publisher at his home in London where he was celebrating the holidays with his family. Bartholomew Coffle was displeased by the interruption but the desk editor demanded his boss return to approve the headlines, story and photos.

When he came through the floo, read the story and studied the photos – of the flight of dragons, children with new brooms, and owls – Coffle seemed to be lost in thought for several minutes.

"I agree this story will be good press for the goblins," Coffle told the reporter and desk editor. "But I think it'll be good for everyone except the old guard."

"Who do you mean?" the daily editor asked.

"Fudge, Dumbledore, the old fuddy-duddies on the Wizengamot," Coffle explained.

"Cleansweep Brooms and Gringotts will be in our debt when we report this properly. And we'll make money on posters too. Ragnock will grin like the devil and grind his teeth but he'll pay for these photos with his dragons."

The editor grinned; he did enjoy not worrying about Deatheaters and hopefully someday, he'd not have to worry about Dumbledore. He authorized the printing of a thousand extra copies of tomorrow's paper and for the art department to create layouts for posters.

_)**(_

SCENE: Conversations at Hogwarts

The next morning, there were many conversations in the Great Hall at Hogwarts when the Daily Prophet was delivered. The students staying over the holidays shared a dozen copies of the paper and the staff each had a copy to study. There were shouts across the different tables as the students stared at the photos in the paper and then turned to the other tables with reactions to the photographs of their classmates flying with dragons.

"Look at Potter leading everyone through the air!" exclaimed an older Hufflepuff, holding up the cover of the Daily Prophet. "How do they…"

"Is that a dragon? A real dragon?" asked a Ravenclaw, with the paper open to the inside photographs. "How did they keep from being eaten?"

Professor Hooch grinned and nodded at Deputy Headmistress McGonagall who failed to keep the smile off her normally stern face. Both witches had witnessed the students flying with Harry Potter and the owls but they'd kept the story to themselves and not informed the headmaster. That Mr. Potter would lead dragons into the air, didn't surprize either witch.

At the Slytherin table, the conversations were very quiet compared to the other tables. The students wondered how Potter – a half-blood – was able to communicate with the dragons. The revelations of the Dark Lord's origins as being practically a muggleborn had shattered many beliefs in pureblood supremacy; the Dark Lord has so much power, the purebloods of his generation made him their leader.

"Potter was named the 'Great Speaker' during the sorting," one of the seventh years reminded the other Slytherins. "He might be the new Heir of Slytherin."

"He's just a firstie," complained a sixth-year girl. "How can he be so powerful?"

"Did you see the photos of him leading dragons in the air?" asked the seventh year. "Dragons!"

"They're just creatures… they can be trained…"

A sixth year snorted, pulled out his copy of Fantastic Beasts and opened it to the extensive chapter on dragons.

"Scamander never tamed a dragon… he worked with an injured one once but never attempted to teach it any tricks," the young wizard reported. "The boy-who-lived talks with dragons! We must learn if he's dark or light."

Albus Dumbledore was late to breakfast this morning. He entered the Great Hall in a set of robes with dancing snowflakes and radishes – an old set of robes that he'd added the snowflakes for the holiday. He sighed with disappointment as no one noticed his robes; they all stared at something in the Daily Prophet.

Settling into his throne, Dumbledore stated, "Breakfast."

It was almost two seconds before a full, hot English breakfast appeared in front of him. (The house elves had their own copy of the Daily Prophet with the amazing photos, and even better, the Potter elves popped in with stories of riding with the wizards and witches. "There were owls and the dragons all around us while we flew with the Great Speaker.")

In brief moment he waited, Dumbledore's gaze wandered to the bottom half of the paper lying beside the placemat in front of him – the photo of Harry Potter flying with a group of other students captured his attention. He reached for the paper and sat back on his throne to scan the article and then open the paper to find the other photos.

Further down the table, Severus Snape cursed under his breath – the headmaster would demand to interview the two students from Slytherin who attended the event – who flew with Potter and the others. Neither family would permit such an interview to occur and Snape would be caught in the middle.

The head of Slytherin paused to consider the implications of Nott involving his grandson – the surviving Deatheaters would slink away before tangling with that powerful old wizard. And Greengrass had positioned himself as the leader of the neutral wizards by supporting the goblins and Ogden and Nott; he'd hosted the boy-who-lived with his friends – pureblood and muggleborn to fly with dragons.

For a moment, Snape imaged Dumbledore barging into Gringotts, demanding to free Potter, and being introduced to the fire-breathing dragons. The dancing radishes and snowflakes on the hideous robes would not stand up to flames.

_)**(_

Albus finally turned his attention to the breakfast that had grown cold. He called for a new meal but the elves merely took the cold breakfast and returned it with heating charms applied to the table – the toast was burnt around the edges, the eggs hard and the sausages crispy. Worse still, his pumpkin juice had been heated and burned his tongue.

Glancing around the Great Hall, Dumbledore found the students who'd remained over the holidays to be engrossed by the paper. Glancing left and right, he found his staff had already folded their copies of the newspaper and put them away. Flitwick openly displayed his wand – casting shields over the tables of students to prevent any obliviating or compulsion spells.

"Very interesting news this morning, Headmaster," Professor Hooch said.

"I would characterize the news as disturbing," Albus replied. "That any adult would endanger children in this manner with dragons… I just can't imagine."

Snorts and muffled laughter from Moody and Sinistra were echoed by the deputy headmistress.

"It appears that the children were perfectly safe flying with the Gringotts dragons," Minerva said. "I am certain they were much safer with the dragons than they were with the troll on the third floor in October."

"And I referred to the generous donation that Cleansweep Brooms is making to Hogwarts – the dozen brooms the children flew at the Greengrass home will be donated for flying classes here," Hooch said as she folded up her copy of the paper. These photos would be framed and placed on the walls of her office before luncheon today.

"Brooms?" asked Dumbledore. He'd skipped over the story about the donation but before the headmaster could continue, the door to the Great Hall opened and an Auror ran across the room to stop in front of the headmaster.

"Grand Wizard, the minister for magic has suffered a heart attack. The news in the Daily Prophet so upset him, he collapsed and was rushed to St. Mungo's," the man reported. "You're needed at the Ministry."

"Auror…"

"Smyth, sir. Martin Smyth," the man informed Dumbledore.

"Auror Smyth, my title is 'Chief Warlock', not 'Grand Wizard'," Dumbledore corrected the young man. "Remember to use the proper titles."

Perplexed for a moment, the young wizard replied, "Of course, headmaster. Will you come sir?"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore agreed with a gentle smile and a twinkle in his eye that confused the Auror.

"Shall we go then, sir?"

Dumbledore frowned and waved the young man away, "Return and tell… Who sent you?"

"Director Bones sent me, sir."

"Tell Amelia that I shall appear within the hour," Dumbledore explained as he rose to return to his chamber and choose the most appropriate robes to wear to the ministry.

'_If I'm to assume the position of Minister for Magic with the death of poor Cornelius Fudge, I must look like Merlin,'_ Dumbledore decided. While the headmaster was lost in thought, the young Auror looked around the room and found Alastor Moody at the table.

"Return to Director Bones and report the headmaster's reply," instructed Moody from his spot down the table. Nodding at the old Auror's instructions, the young wizard turned and hurried from the Great Hall with Dumbledore following behind him at a slower pace.

With Dumbledore gone to his office, Minerva turned toward Filius and Pomona. Alastor, Sinistra and Burbage leaned forward to join the conversation while Severus hurried from the table. He would contact Nott and Greengrass this morning to forestall any conversations between the headmaster and the Slytherins.

"Why did Bones send an Auror rather than a Patronus message?" Filius asked. "The Patronus would have been much faster."

"She wanted to be able to view the memory of the 'Chief Warlock's' response," Moody explained. "She's planning something for certain. She knows Dumbledore – his 'hour' will be at least half that length again."

_)**(_

SCENE: Changes at the Ministry

In fact, it was almost two hours before Albus Dumbledore appeared in the Atrium of the Ministry. He stepped from the floo and banished the soot that clung to his green robes with purple grapes – he had finally decided on these robes as the perfect complement to the purple robes worn by the regular members of the Wizengamot. As Chief Warlock, he granted himself the right to dress differently.

There were normal sized crowds of wizards and witches moving about the ministry this morning. All were dressed in heavy robes suitable for the winter weather and while he received nods of recognition, no one bowed to Dumbledore.

Making his way to the Wizengamot chamber quickly, Albus relaxed when he saw the members gathered around the doorway – they'd not begun yet and he could take charge.

"You're entirely too late, Albus!" Lady Marchmain declared as she walked past him, heading toward the elevators. She was satisfied that the headmaster's attention would be focused on the school now. As director of the education testing services, she'd demand improvement in the OWLs and NEWTs this year or begin to join McGonagall in her moves to push Dumbledore out of the school.

Lord Ogden smiled as he passed without a word. The paper's story had already spread overseas and there were inquiries from shops in France, Egypt, India, and America about the new brooms. With an influx of galleons, Ogden would use the gold to support anyone wanting to unseat Dumbledore.

More of the members in their hideous purple robes hurried by Dumbledore who kept trying to begin a conversation and discover what had transpired in the chamber, but everyone ignored him.

Finally, Lord Greengrass and Director Bones approached the 'Chief Warlock' and led him into the chamber.

"Dumbledore…" Bones began.

"Chief Warlock Dumbledore," Albus attempted to correct the woman.

"Actually, you're not Chief Warlock any longer," Greengrass replied. "I am."

His face displaying true surprize, Dumbledore rebutted, "You can't be Chief Warlock! It takes a two thirds majority to unseat me and elect someone new."

"We had all members of the Wizengamot present except for yourself," Bones explained. "First, there was a vote of no confidence in Fudge and then a second vote of no confidence in you."

"You don't have the votes…" Dumbledore insisted. "Longbottom and Potter votes would have blocked…"

"At the beginning of the session, we installed new proxies for Potter and Longbottom," Bones explained. "Lord Greengrass holds both votes as directed by the official guardians for Heir Potter and Heir Longbottom."

"But how could you do this to me? To Cornelius?"

"Mr Malfoy made the motions," Greengrass declared. "That was unexpected but carried the vote."

"Who did you place as minister? Not Umbridge?"

Amelia frowned and exchanged glances with Greengrass.

"Delores Umbridge is a prisoner in the goblin mines under Gringotts. That happened back in the summer," she reminded the headmaster.

"What? How dare the goblins lay hands on a ministry official!"

Shaking her head slightly, Amelia explained, "The Undersecretary tried to assassinate the chief of the Gringotts horde in his own office, and Cornelius refused to speak up for her…"

"And what happened to Augusta?" Dumbledore demanded.

Greengrass sniffed before he told the tale of her actions that endangered the Longbottom vaults and her subsequent removal from the guardianship of Heir Longbottom.

"I understand she was sentenced to ten years in the mines along with her distasteful brother…"

Dumbledore erupted in anger, his wand out and his aura flaring, as he declared, "The goblins are in revolt! They are out of control! Locking away members of the government! Setting dragons loose among wizarding children! They are a danger to us all!"

The former chief warlock paused and listened for the cheering he expected to hear; there was none. He glanced at Greengrass who looked repulsed by the elderly wizard's outburst and then at Bones who had a sour look on her face.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I am suspending your voting privileges in the Wizengamot until such time as three independent healers certify that you are in your right mind," Greengrass announced.

"Director Bones, if you will have Mr. Dumbledore escorted to St. Mungo's, I would appreciate…"

"You can't do this to me!" insisted a nervous Dumbledore.

Greengrass paused for a moment and then affirmed, "Yes, I can. As Chief Warlock, it is my duty to confirm the fitness of every member of the Wizengamot."

Bones motioned a pair of Auror's closer and when they stepped close enough to capture Dumbledore's attention, Amelia grabbed the headmaster's funny wand that she quickly pocketed.

"Gentlemen, let's escort Mr. Dumbledore to St. Mungo's for an evaluation," she ordered as the two strong men guided the elderly wizard out of the chamber and to the floo in a nearby, private office.

Lord Greengrass watched without any additional comments. Once the chamber was cleared, he straightened his back and headed toward the offices of the minister – Amos Diggory had a tough road ahead of him and Greengrass was determined to help the new minister succeed.

_)**(_

The Daily Prophet reported the changes in the ministry honestly and Rita Skeeter attempted to write a scathing article on the hidden agenda of the new Chief Warlock but when she turned the article in, she was summoned to Coffle's office and fired. Protesting the decision, she grew angry and accidentally transformed into her animagus form. Rather than reverse the spell and reveal herself, Rita attempted to fly from the building. Pausing at the desk of an old circulation manager, the man dumped a pile of old newspapers on the water bug and crushed it. Her body did not resume its normal shape and the bug's remains were banished along with the old papers at the end of the day.

_)**)_

At St. Mungo's, the mind healers spent three days arguing with Albus Dumbledore but finally conceded the elderly wizard was still in control of his mental faculties and certified him sane. Chief Wizard Greengrass shared the report with all members of the Wizengamot, the Board of Governors for Hogwarts, and the ICW. Before the last day of the year, Dumbledore was back at Hogwarts, angry at the world for failing to recognize his position in the world.

'_When Tom returns, then they'll need me_,' he decided. '_Just wait until the boy-who-lived proves to be unable to handle the Dark Lord. Then they'll fall all over themselves begging me to help them!_'

Fawkes didn't laugh much now. She watched the old man closely, wondering when he would slip over the edge. The phoenix would make certain he didn't harm anyone when he did.

_)**)_

SCENE: Another Ride on the Hogwarts Express

Percival Weasley stood on the platform at Kings Cross Station for the Hogwarts Express and grinned when he saw his parents and younger brothers appear from the floo in the receiving room. He left Penny Clearwater to watch the last of the muggleborns and other students climb into the train as he ran inside.

"Mom! Dad!" he called before he hugged each of his parents.

"Percy! I missed you on Christmas morning," Molly told her third son as she held him close for a moment. Then Percy quickly hugged his father and surprized everyone by hugging Fred and George.

"I missed you two!" he told his twin brothers. "Christmas was nice but boring at Hogwarts without your tricks."

"We're going to turn over a new leaf," Fred announced.

"We're going to study," George continued.

"And be more like Percy, Charlie, and Bill," Fred concluded. "Getting your leg cut off, changes you."

"That's rot!" Ron whined. "Everybody spending all their time studying books and spells… no one wants to play chess or fly."

"That's not true Ron," Percy said. "We're getting new brooms at Hogwarts for the flying classes but you'll have to pass the certification class before you can fly one."

"Why? I've been flying since I was five!"

"Yes, but you crashed and destroyed a broom in October… Remember?" Percy reminded his youngest brother.

_)**)_

The train was full of happy children and everyone tried to stop by the compartments where the firsties from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were camped out. The other students continually bombarded them with questions about flying with dragons until the prefects finally stepped in and ordered the other students to leave them alone.

"This questioning is going to drive me nuts," Harry announced.

"And it'll be worse at Hogwarts," Justin said as his contribution, leaving Harry, Neville, Susan and Hermione slightly sick on their stomachs. But the genius muggleborn came up with an idea quickly.

"We should hold a press conference," Hermione told the other children.

"What's a press conference?" asked Ernie and Hannah.

"We all sit at a table and the students can ask questions of any of us, but only one at a time. After we answer the question, the next student can ask their question."

"That'll take a couple hours!" Susan said. "The Slytherins will have as many questions as the Ravenclaws this time."

"But it'll be the only time they can all ask," Harry said. "The professors will like that idea."

Pulling out a biro and a pad of paper, Harry composed a letter to Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick with contributions by all of his friends. Once they were satisfied with the letter, Harry called for Apollo.

"Mr. Harry Potters calls for Apollo?" asked the excited elf.

"Hey Apollo. Can you do me a favour?"

"Certainly, Mr. Harry Potters."

"Duplicate this letter and then deliver one copy to Professor Sprout and one copy to Professor Flitwick," Harry said.

Taking the letter into his hand, Apollo nodded and disappeared.

Suddenly, another of Harry's elves, Venus, appeared and asked, "Would Mr. Harry Potters like tea for him and his friends?"

"Yes!" Justin exclaimed. "I haven't had any of Juno's good biscuits in over a week!"

The elf grinned and popped away but almost instantly, she returned with the other Potter elves and stands for the many firsties from 'puff and 'claws in two different compartments. Then the elves popped away as trays appeared on the stands with a full Hogwarts tea.

Across the whole train, the house elves from Hogwarts delivered tea for the students with beverages, biscuits, and cakes. It was the best ride into Scotland any of the children could remember.

"I have the best elves in the world!" Harry exclaimed and his friends echoed his claim.

_)**)_

Wandering about the train later – you can't consume a full Hogwarts tea and not fall asleep unless you get up and walk – Harry made a point of talking to students from all four houses. Dora Tonks was quiet but very helpful with news about the other students. After she explained that several fifth year muggleborns had resigned, Harry asked her, "Why are you coming back?"

"I'm just a few months away from my Newts," she explained. "My parents wanted me to finish Hogwarts before I apply to university. I'll pass my Newts next June and hopefully start university in the fall."

"How can I help you?" Harry asked. Dora blinked at the boy for a moment, but then smiled.

"Could… Could Miss Hedwig work with Professor Binns more this winter and spring? She can help us all prepare for Newts in history."

"She'll love that," Harry explained. "She teaches me and the dragons about history all the time."

Dora nodded and added, "Mom and Dad were really worried about you and the other kids flying with dragons…"

Harry waved away the seventh year's worries. "We were safe with the babies. They're strong but like all kids – goblins and wizards."

"You're strange Harry Potter," Dora said.

Harry grinned and replied, "Why thank you, Dora Tonks. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me today."

_)**(_

Later, as the train began the last hour before arrival at the castle, Harry, Justin and Neville were exploring the baggage car – it was filled with empty wooden boxes labelled 'Potion Ingredients'. Sitting on one of the boxes, they found a seventh-year 'puff.

"I know you… You're Roger Heathcliff!" Justin said as the three firsties began asking the older boy about his holiday.

"I'm not good company, guys"

"What's the matter?"

Roger sighed, "My girlfriend, Cathy Watson, is one of the muggleborn who resigned from Hogwarts over the holiday."

"Was she a fifth year?"

"No, she's a… She was a seventh-year like me. But her parents thought her time would be better spent preparing to attend muggle university that wasting her time at Hogwarts. She's going to take a couple of the NEWTS in June but then study healing muggle style. She can't get into St. Mungo's to become a healer."

Justin asked, "Are you going to write to her?"

Roger shrugged, "I don't know how to send muggle letters."

"Well, Justin and I can help you with that," Harry volunteered. "Do you have her address in the real world?"

"What's the 'real world'?" the older 'puff asked.

Neville grinned and said, "That's what the muggleborn call their homes and families."

"Yeah, Magical Britain is like a fairy tale," Justin agreed.

Pondering this for a minute Roger nodded. "It's been a bad dream for me this year… Cathy is afraid of my parents. Over the holidays, my mother admitted that she threatened Cathy."

"Why? What did she say?" asked Harry. Roger explained that his mother threatened Cathy with an 'accident' if she kept seeing her son.

"They don't like her because she's not a pureblood or even a half-blood. I want to spend my life with Cathy but my parents threatened to disown me if I marry her."

Harry shook his head. "All that pureblood stuff makes me angry. Are purebloods stronger that half-bloods or muggleborns?"

Roger shook his head. "Most half-bloods are stronger than anyone else. But people like my folks have lived with the idea that purebloods are better for their whole lives."

Neville nodded. "My grandmother believed purebloods were better than muggleborns but she didn't know any muggleborns."

"You can write to her, Roger," Justin said. "Harry and I can get your letters posted in the muggle mail and Cathy can write back."

Harry asked, "You're working on a special project, right? Something that will establish your name as a powerful, creative wizard?"

"Yes, I am improving apparition – making it easier, more accurate and faster with arithmancy equations…"

"Wait, wait!" Harry demanded. "You'll need to explain that to Neville and Hermione, not me."

"Or me," Justin agreed while Neville grinned.

"I'd like to hear about your equations, Roger!" Neville agreed.

"Anyway, once you're famous, you can pick your girlfriend who becomes your wife without your parents making a fuss…"

"Oh, they'll still make a fuss but I can disown them if they do."

Neville grinned, "Or better yet, once you're seventeen, sign a magically binding betrothal agreement with Cathy and add punishments to anyone who interferes. You can make your parents back off or take their magic and make 'em muggles."

Justin grinned and said, "Neville Longbottom, you know everything!"

Roger nodded but then said, "You three kids are pretty dark."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I keep getting compliments today."

Pointing to himself and bowing, Harry continued, "I'm supposed to be the Great Speaker. That means I can talk to all the creatures like owls and dragons."

Then he pointed at Justin and said, "Future Dark Lord."

The muggleborn boy smiled and bowed. Neville nodded and added, "I decided if my friends are going to be dark, I should be too…"

Now Roger laughed and said, "Dark lords hiding in Hufflepuff! Slytherin doesn't stand a chance!"

_)**(_

SCENE: New Year at Hogwarts

The welcoming feast was great with Flitwick and Sprout standing around the tables before the meal began to limit the questioning of the 'dragon flyers' as some of the other students referred to the group from the Daily Prophet article.

Headmaster Dumbledore appeared to be withdrawn as Deputy Headmistress McGonagall and Healer Troutman kept after him to eat, drink and be quiet. The students were excited about the announced question session for the students who'd flown with the dragons and began preparing lists. Being that the next day was Saturday with no practical classes scheduled, McGonagall announced the questions would be allowed beginning at 1:00PM in the Great Hall.

_)**(_

Dumbledore sucked on a particularly sour lemon drop as he sat on his throne in the Great Hall the next afternoon. Severus Snape refused to bring Daphne Greengrass or Theodore Nott to the headmaster's office last night for questioning.

"I have explicit instructions from Lord Greengrass and from Mr. Nott that you are not to question either child about the events on Boxing Day. If you try to question them, both gentlemen, promised to sue you in the ministry courts and the goblin courts."

"Bah, the ministry courts…"

"The courts are under the direction of Chief Warlock Greengrass now," Severus reminded the headmaster. "And the goblins would charge you with endangering the vaults of both families. You could end up digging out mine shafts with Augusta Longbottom and Delores Umbridge for the next ten years."

"Go away," Dumbledore snarled, displeased to be denied the chance to gather information. In his dark mood, he barely glanced at Minerva's report on the withdrawal of eight muggleborns from the sixth- and seventh-year rosters. The students were from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor so the headmaster ignored the change in the castle's demographics.

Now he waited impatiently for the question session with the children who flew with the dragons. He'd find out what he wanted to know… '_Was this a plot by the goblins to destroy the ministry? Were the goblins planning to attack Hogwarts with these dragons?'_

Ten minutes later, the headmaster grumbled even louder – Deputy Headmistress McGonagall refused to allow him to be first or to ask more than one question.

"But I am headmaster!" he practically whined.

"And when their heads of house and their guardians agree, you can ask the children more questions," Minerva said. "Otherwise, be silent!"

The questions from the children focused on flying on the new brooms, the names of the different dragons, what the dragons like to eat, and if they could talk.

Harry Potter was asked more questions than anyone else but he deflected many of the questions to his classmates – he let the girls explain the favourite colours of the dragons and their favourite foods. He let Neville and Hermione explain about Whatcha's obsession with maths and arithmancy.

The longest answer he gave was the description of the hatching and how the little dragons adopted Hagrid as their father, Fang as their mother and him as their big brother.

"They climbed up our robes and slept in our arms that first night. They were very warm and it was great."

He described how Fang fed them baby dragons with the many of the children making faces but he laughed and explained it was a natural for the parent to regurgitate partially digested food for the infants.

"I looked it up and read all about it!" Harry explained.

"But how can you talk to dragons?" asked Marcus Newsome. Severus frowned and promised himself to lecture the seventh-year boy about asking such questions in a public setting.

Harry grinned. Hedwig and Ironstream had prepared him for just question. During the train ride, he'd asked Neville and Hermione to help him with the answer.

{I'm a parsel-mouth. I can speak to all dragons, snakes, alligators and crocodiles. I understand the gators and crocs are poor conversationalists but snakes and dragons love gossip and tell the best stories.}

"What was that, Potter?" asked Marcus, shouting out a second question.

"He said he's a parsel-mouth, Newsome," Neville replied.

"He talks to dragons and snakes," added Hermione.

"And to crocodiles and alligators but they're not very forthcoming with information. If you want to hear gossip or good stories, talk to snakes and dragons," Harry said to finish.

"You're going to be a dark lord!" shouted Ron Weasley from his place among the Gryffindor students. George, Fred and Percy all cast silencing spells on their brother but the label was thrown out.

Justin grinned at Susan – they were both predicted to be 'dark' and they'd begun to accept the idea. If Harry and Neville joined them, they'd rule Hogwarts by their fourth year.

"Well, Potter, are you going to be a Dark Lord?" asked Dumbledore, rising from his throne, his funny wand in his hand pointing toward the boy-who-lived.

Harry grinned as Hedwig moved behind the headmaster. Fawkes also appeared and if the headmaster threw spells at Harry Potter, both birds would attack Dumbledore.

"I won't ever be evil, Headmaster Dumbledore," Harry explained. "I will study some dark magic but it'll be under the supervision of my professors."

Rising from his chair, Alastor Moody drew his wand, approached Albus Dumbledore on his throne, and said, "At one time you knew that 'dark' doesn't mean evil. If you remembered that you'd also remember that evil comes in many forms and right now I see a light wizard pointing his wand at an eleven-year-old boy with evil intent. I guess that makes you a 'dark lord', Albus."

_)**(_


	34. Chapter 34

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

In this chapter the Daily Prophet coverage of the dragons flying with Harry Potter shakes up Magical Britain. Dumbledore gets into trouble in the Wizengamot, the purebloods are unhappy about the coming test scores, and there's more flying at Hogwarts with consequences for many wizards.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 34 Winter Classes

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Reaction to Flight of Dragons

With the return of a normal five-day schedule, the students at Hogwarts kept up their studies and their clubs. Despite the absence of Remus Lupin, the professors and students kept the English, Maths, and Chemistry clubs growing throughout the winter. Madam Pence received regular bundles of new muggle materials and she set them up in her reading room for the first month before allowing them to be checked out for a week at a time.

None of the purebloods mentioned the absence of their former classmates in fifth, sixth, and seventh year. They noticed the difference in their study groups but refused to admit the change in work they produced. A few purebloods quietly celebrated the absence of the 'mudbloods' but others, such as Penelope Clearwater and Percy Weasley regretted the choices their friends had made.

With Dumbledore once again 'knocked back' and hiding in his office every day, Hogwarts ran smoothly. Moody drove the fifth- and seventh-year students with spells and strategies to prepare for their OWLs and NEWTs. McGonagall realized that there would be problems after testing was completed when Lady Marchmain saw the low scores – the muggleborns who left at Christmas would be missed when the tests were graded.

The clubs that Professor Moody began last fall continued to meet – Maths would be added to the curriculum in the fall and Professor Vector and her favourite students often wandered into the Great Hall with paper and biros in hand, working on equations.

Flitwick grinned as McGonagall scowled, "They're addicted to numbers worse than anyone with Fire Whiskey!"

"You are correct," Filius replied. "But have you seen how hard they work? How the four houses work together?"

Of course," the deputy headmistress replied. "I just wish they'd work that hard on transfiguration or charms."

"The purebloods will all achieve Exceeds Expectations during testing.

"But where are the Outstanding scores that the ministry expects?"

Filius Flitwick sighed. "You know exactly where they are. And perhaps you will work with Lady Marchmain to change the curriculum next year to improve instruction?"

Minerva frowned, "You know that the ministry will dumb down the tests so the purebloods achieve Outstanding scores."

The charms professor remained silent as the transfiguration professor rose and left the Great Hall. At least they had not had to deal with Dumbledore today.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Anticipating Test Results

Minerva McGonagall knew the end of year tests would not reach the expected averages and her fears were confirmed when Lady Marchmain appeared in the castle in late January and took the Deputy Headmistress to task over the upcoming NEWTs and OWLs.

"Minerva! What's this I see that you'll only test 45 NEWTs and 60 OWLs this year! In September the numbers were 53 NEWTs and 60 OWLs!"

"Griselda, come and sit down. Let me explain," the deputy headmistress offered to the head of the testing department from the ministry. Lady Marchmain noticed that McGonagall offered whiskey rather than tea here in the early afternoon.

"Please! Eight missing NEWTs will twist the results and leave the ministry in a whirl for certain!"

To explain the changes in the number of expected tests, McGonagall said, "Last fall, several students – muggleborn – received letters from friends who'd graduated the year before. None of them were welcomed as students with potion masters, healers, charm weavers…"

Griselda shook her head, "Like every year…"

"The students in Ravenclaw diligently searched the ministry's records and found that none of the muggleborns for the last four years remained in Magical Britain."

"Well, of course not," Lady Marchmain said. "It's much better if they return to the muggles and not try to change things…"

Minerva nodded, "I agree with you but the students told Filius and Pomona that they felt Hogwarts was a waste of time – they had to prepare for university in the muggle world."

"What is this 'university'? Is that the muggle 'Hogwarts'?"

McGonagall shook her head. "It is a school above the seventh year; their masters don't take apprentices. Students attend classes, pass exams, and obtain licenses."

"Primitive," the head of the testing department announced. "So, we lost eight of the seventh years."

"And five students from the sixth years."

Griselda stared for a moment. "How many of the fifth years will leave us after their OWLs?"

"Filius and Pomona won't divulge confidences and the Gryffindors won't discuss it with me; my estimate is that we lose all fifteen muggleborns after they pass their OWLs."

"What does Dumbledore say?"

"He's not interested. He believes that the muggleborn leaving after their fifth year is no different than them leaving after their NEWTs," Minerva said with resignation.

Griselda frowned. The muggleborn students performed well with magical testing – much better than purebloods – even her own children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren were not proficient with magical testing.

"We'll have to make changes," Lady Marchmain sighed. "The test scores must reinforce pureblood superiority."

Minerva frowned but her view of Magical Britain prevented her objections. The deputy headmistress finally nodded and added, "As long as the muggleborn are satisfied with their place, we won't worry about them."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Flying at Hogwarts

There was to be flying this afternoon in February – the weather was cold but it was clear; the professors believed the students had their homework well in hand for the coming week. Early that morning, a large number of owls had flown off with completed assignments for the muggleborn and a few of the half-bloods and purebloods, so the afternoon could be spent outdoors in the spring sunshine.

Professor McGonagall invited Sprout, Flitwick, Snape, Vector and Burbage to gather in the Quidditch Pitch to witness the students fly. Snape declined with such cutting remarks that McGonagall dismissed him from the staff meeting.

"Why does the headmaster keep that man around?" asked Burbage. "The Gryffindors have to do private study with potions just to keep pace with the expected test requirements!"

On the flying field, Professor Hooch was surrounded by the students with their personal brooms and the firsties who wished the opportunity to fly with new school brooms. There were six more firsties than there were new brooms and Hooch called the elves to bring the old brooms. She quickly picked the best six and handed them out. Harry Potter took one of the old brooms even before Hedwig could encourage him to do so. The other five on old brooms were Justin, Hermione, Neville, Susan, and Ernie, and they agreed to stay close to the boy-who-lived as everyone prepared to launch.

"So, what are we supposed to see this afternoon?" asked Pomona Sprout as she watched her 'puffs flying with students from the other houses.

"Give them a moment," Hooch coached as Harry, Hedwig, and the others rose in the air. For a moment, there were students flying in every direction and the sky resembled a swarm of bees. Then Tonks, Diggory and the other 'puffs fell into formation behind Harry. With a series of pops, the entire parliament of owls from Hogwarts appeared in their positions around the Great Speaker.

"If dragons appear, I will faint!" declared Sprout as the professors watched the Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin flyers find places in the formation.

"Oh my!" declared Flitwick. "Can you feel the magic?"

The children flew faster and in an intricate design that Vector recognized as a geometric form created by formulas in maths.

"Of course," she said as she raised her arms and began moving them in synchronized time with the children flying above the pitch. "It's a warding schema!"

Moody hobbled down the path from the castle, his wand out as he measured and catalogued the magic being created.

"I've never seen or felt anything like this before!" he declared though none of the other mesmerized professors responded.

The Slytherins in the air felt the attraction of the Great Speaker's magic; with the flow of magic they fell into formation. The mass of flyers – humans and owls were synchronized and conjuring magic that strengthened Hogwarts wards to levels not felt in two hundred years.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: New Portraits mean Unhappy Visitors

No one mentioned the flight to Dumbledore and he failed to notice the change in the wards. However, the next morning, everyone noticed that new portraits appeared on the walls – or rather 'long-lost' portraits including the founders reappeared. With the students and staff spending time talking to the portraits, the house elves set up comfortable chairs in front of each portraits of a founder where the animated witch or wizard began providing lectures of the true meaning of magic.

The students in Slytherin were confronted with a different view of magic than the general pureblood theories from Salazar Slytherin, the founder of their house. Their letters home asked difficult questions and contained terrifying quotes from first Professor Binns and now the portrait of Salazar Slytherin himself. In the late February, four wizards appeared at the gates and demanded to speak with the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. Under orders to be polite to every visitor, the gates opened and an elf appeared to lead the four dark wizards into Hogwarts just after lunch while the students were in class. 'Summoned' by the head elf, Headmaster Dumbledore found Lucius Malfoy, Ernest Goyle, Haight Traverse, and Norde Parkinson standing before the portrait of Salazar Slytherin.

"Greatest of the Founding Four, we are faithful followers of your beliefs in Magical Britain!" announced Traverse.

"A thousand years have passed but we stay true to you!" Goyle announced.

Salazar snorted and replied, "My beliefs? What are my beliefs?"

"Pureblood supremacy over all!" three of the wizards said.

"Pureblood? What is this 'pureblood' nonsense your children spout?" asked the portrait.

With that question, everyone except Malfoy shut up as Lucius explained, "Only wizards and witches with ten generations of proven magical ancestors are allowed to call themselves 'pureblood'."

"And you lose power and brain cells with each generation," Salazar replied. "No one breeds within their own family and grows stronger."

"Can any of your ancestors cast magic from their portraits?" Salazar asked as he waved a hand and the four men were suddenly chained to their chairs.

"How did you do that?" asked Lucius.

"I have great power because my mother was a third-generation witch, and my father was 'new-magic' as the Americans call them."

"You're not pureblood?" shouted Goyle.

"I was more of a 'pureblood' than that false dark lord you allowed to brand you! His mother was a squib and his father a plain muggle…"

"No! It isn't true!" shouted Parkinson before the ghosts arrived to give the chained pureblood wizards a lecture on the origins of Tom Riddle.

*(+++++)*

Another unwelcome interview came when Rowena Ravenclaw asked to speak with Dumbledore and the staff. Expecting the founder of Ravenclaw house to be concerned about a matter of spells or potion ingredients, they were not prepared for her complaint.

"I want to know what in the name of Merlin and Morgana you idiots are doing making young wizards and witches use quills, ink and parchment when perfectly good pens and paper are available from the muggles?"

"But quills… and parchment…" McGonagall sputtered.

"We learned to use quills and parchment from the muggles a thousand years ago. Wizards originally chewed up twigs for brushes and then used horse hair brushes with our inks. And our ancestors wrote on cave walls! The muggle priests taught us to use the quills and they invented parchment."

Helga Hufflepuff joined the conversation, "I remember seeing many wizards with black lips before we changed to quills. They'd be writing, need to loosen up the twig fibres and chew on the twig forgetting it had ink in it. When we started using quills, it was just your fingers that were blackened by the ink."

Rowena concluded by saying, "And the muggles have paper with lines drawn on it – Merlin and Morgana would have grabbed this paper and blessed the muggle who invited it each and every day!"

"No!" declared Dumbledore. "Hogwarts will not betray our heritage with such muggle things. I forbid them to be in the castle!"

"You forbid?" asked Godric Gryffindor. "You dare to contradict the founders of Hogwarts?"

"You've been nothing but problems since you reappeared!" Dumbledore insisted as he stalked away. He planned to place each portrait into a lengthy sleep this summer – at least fifty years before they awoke again.

_)**(_

The founders began formal lectures with each year of students thereafter as supplements to the history classes and they summoned officials from the Ministry.

Minister Diggory and Grand Warlock Greengrass were pleased to meet with the founders and discuss improvements for the school. But the new leaders were both very unhappy with one of Salazar Slytherin's comments.

"Where are the new blood students in the older years?" the portrait asked. "I see too many students courting who are related to each other… The Traverse boy is dating a girl who is his second cousin on his paternal side and his third cousin on his maternal side."

"We can't interfere with matches the families make," Greengrass explained.

"Then publish the truth!" Salazar's portrait demanded. "They are breeding themselves into extinction!"

McGonagall and Sprout listened to the argument, and both witches actually read the papers provided by the goblins and their muggleborn employees. Minerva knew she was more powerful than Pomona, and Severus was more powerful than she was; his father had been a muggle and Minerva's grandmother had been muggleborn. Pomona was pureblood back ten generations before any new blood appeared in her family tree.

"The founders don't mince words," Pomona observed as they watched the four portraits argue with the minister and grand warlock.

"They're not politicians," Severus agreed.

"Dumbledore hides from them," Minerva said. "How are we going to keep this quiet?"

"Quiet?" asked Severus. "Are you pretending to be Dumbledore this afternoon, Minerva?"

"How can we let this…" the deputy headmistress began to argue.

"We must make certain that everyone knows this!" Severus countered immediately.

"It'll destroy Magical Britain!" McGonagall stated.

"No! It'll change us, but change can make us stronger!" Pomona insisted.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Founders Request

It was an afternoon in March when the founders arranged an interview with Harry Potter and his friends.

"Heir Potter, we have need of your owl," Helga announced while the other founders sat back in comfortable chairs in the large portrait frame in an out-of-the-way classroom. The children exchanged glances but only Harry spoke up.

"Hedwig?" Harry asked as Apollo popped into the room with the owl. She flew to Harry's shoulder and greeted him happily with her return from London on a mail run.

"How are the babies and Felicity today?" he asked. "Did they send letters?"

Hedwig held out her leg and Harry found letters from the dragons for Justin, Neville, and Hermione.

"Whatcha's got questions in math again, I bet," Neville said.

Helga smiled and again asked, "We would like to ask Miss Hedwig if she could deliver a special letter for us."

Hedwig stared at the portraits for a time and then hooted to her boy. Nodding Harry said, "She wants to know 'who' before she agrees."

"A wise requirement," Salazar said. "A Slytherin owl for certain."

Godric and Rowena both rolled their eyes but Helga pushed ahead. "We want to send a letter to Nicolas Flammel."

"The alchemist?" asked Hermione. "We looked for information on him back in January when the headmaster kept hinting that there was a powerful artefact hidden in the castle. But there's very little in the library about him."

"Nonsense…" Rowena interrupted. "Headmistress Shrewsbury in the 1400's placed his folio of notes and formulas in the library herself!"

The portrait left the frame to travel to the library to discuss the missing book with Madam Pence. While the others were talking Hedwig grew quiet and cast about with her postal owl magic. Then the owl ruffled her feathers and shook her head before hooting to Harry.

"Hedwig says that she can't 'find' Mr Flammel with her magic, Madam Hufflepuff."

"He must be hiding behind very strong wards if the post owls can't find him," the portrait replied.

"How can we penetrate them?" asked Godric.

Hedwig hooted for a minute but her suggestion left Harry frowning. "Death would get in trouble with Ironstream and Ragnock for sure…"

The owl chirped and motioned with one wing toward the portraits.

Harry took a deep breath and said, "Hedwig says that she thinks she could find him – if he is still alive – if she took Deathrider with her when she went to deliver the letter."

"Who is Deathrider?" asked Helga.

"He's one of the dragons Hedwig and I are teaching to talk at Gringotts."

"Bloody hell!" swore Godric. Salazar looked pale and hid his hands in his head.

"Rowena will never let me hear the end of it if dragons are intelligent," the founder of Slytherin whined.

Hermione, Justin and Neville helped Harry to compose the letter to Felicity and Ironstream that explained how the founders at Hogwarts wished to borrow one of the Gringotts dragons in an attempt to located Nicolas Flammel and deliver a letter to him.

As the children finished the letter, Rowena returned from the library; the witch was livid.

"That bastard Phineas Black! I will gut his portrait every day for the next century!"

"What did he do?" asked Godric.

"He hid the Flammel Folio somewhere in the 'Come and Go Room' two hundred years ago."

"How did he get it out of the library?"

"He seduced the librarian and she let him borrow it for single night but he never returned it."

"Don't worry," Salazar said. "We'll use the elves this summer and find it. Madam Pence will protect the folio when we return it to her care."

Rowena frowned and turned to stare at Salazar. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"He's got some interesting news for you," Godric quipped.

"What?" Rowena asked.

"Godric, don't get her worked up…"

"What!" the Ravenclaw founder demanded.

Salazar sighed. "Heir Potter was just telling us that he knows dragons who are intelligent."

"Intelligent? Do you mean sentient? They are self-aware?"

"That's correct Madam Ravenclaw," replied Hermione as the two witches began an exchange of information on Hermione's observations of the dragons in the depths of Gringotts.

"And they use magic as well as speech?" Rowena asked.

"And mathematics," Neville interjected as he held up the latest letter from Whatcha with questions in geometry.

When the letters were finished, the four founders used their portrait magic to place their signatures on both letters (one to Flammel and the other to Ironstream and Felicity). When finished, Harry folded the papers carefully before attaching them to Hedwig's legs.

_)**(_

Ironstream was completing his last report when the door to his office flew open and Felicity Grossman hurried inside with Miss Hedwig Snowy Owl close behind her. The healer's face was worried and the goblin reached out his hand for the latest letter from Harry. A couple minutes later, the goblin was rolling on the floor with laughter. From the doorway, Sowsbreath entered the office and managed to get some part of the story from the healer.

"Harry says the founders want what?" asked Sowsbreath as he watched Ironstream attempt to regain his breath.

"They want Deathrider to help Hedwig find Nicolas Flammel. The founders want Flammel to come and deal with Dumbledore for having the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts."

"And why is Ironstream rolling on the floor?"

The goblin on the floor gasped out, "Because Dumbledore will soil himself when Nicolas Flammel appears at Hogwarts. We must arrange to be there and watch the confrontation!"

"So, you'll let Deathrider go with Hedwig?"

"I don't know how we could stop them," Ironstream replied. "I hope that this request will allow us to set some boundaries for the four terrors…"

"Babies!" Felicity replied.

"They're as large as muggle automobiles now!" Ironstream argued.

"And their father tucks them into bed each night!" Felicity countered though she did grin. "Hagrid insists they're children until they are ten years of age."

"Shall we make our way to the dragon quarters?" asked Sowsbreath. "Hagrid will have lots of instructions for Deathrider."

Hedwig hooted and flew out of the room.

"Oh damnation. The owl will have them all excited before we get there!" Ironstream said as he grabbed the letter from Harry and followed the others from the room, running toward he carts.

*(+++++)*

In his office later that day, Ragnock learned that one of the Gringotts dragons was winging his way to an unknown location in France with the famous owl of Harry Potter looking for Nicolas Flammel.

The Director of Vaults cursed in fluent Garfish for three minutes and Ironstream and Sowsbreath each feared for their lives at the end of the cursing.

"Dumbledore doesn't have the Philosopher's Stone!" Ragnock announced.

The other goblins frowned before Ironstream sputtered, "What does he have at Hogwarts?"

"For all I know, he has nothing!" Ragnock explained. "Last summer, the Dark Lord attempted to steal the real stone from a vault here at Gringotts. Harry sealed the Dark Lord in the vault when the wizard attacked Griphook. Then our wards fried the fool wizard. I believe that Tom Riddle fought back and pulled in magic from artefacts he'd placed around Britain and started all those fires."

"Did you return the stone to Flammel, already?" asked Felicity.

Ragnock shook his head, "I've been unable to contact the man. He's not been inside any Gringotts branch in seventy years."

"Hedwig and Deathrider will find him!" Ironstream insisted.

Ragnock grimaced, "How good is the dragon's invisibility spell?"

"Hagrid says it is a natural ability. They can go invisible whenever they want," Felicity informed the goblins.

This statement generated more cursing in Garfish as the three goblins worried.

Finally, Ragnock said, "We must send word to Heir Potter and his friends at Hogwarts. When Flammel appears at the castle, they are to inform him that Gringotts London has his 'treasure' and would appreciate his appearance in our lobby."

Ironstream began laughing again and when he got control of himself, he explained, "That owl… Miss Hedwig… she'll arrange an entrance for Nicholas Flammel at Hogwarts. She'll have him fly into the courtyard of the castle on the back of the bloody dragon and give Dumbledore a heart attack for certain."

Ragnock seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Ironstream, I want… No, Sowsbreath, use curse-breakers. We need some reason for three or four curse-breakers to be at Hogwarts every day from now to the end of the year. They're to each have cameras handy and make pictures!"

"We can donate their time to help with DADA instruction," Sowsbreath suggested. "Alastor Moody would never turn down help with that class."

Ragnock grinned, showing all his teeth. "Gringotts dragons on the cover of the Daily Prophet again can only be good."

"What if the dragon lands in Diagon Alley with Flammel?" asked Ironstream.

"Another cover of the Daily Prophet!" Ragnock announced. "Have each guard on the steps to carry a magical camera on each shift."

*(+++++)*


	35. Chapter 35

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Dumbledore has another unwelcome visitor and learns that Harry Potter has a powerful wand. The Wizengamot leaders begin to make changes at Hogwarts that Dumbledore does not like. As the academic year winds down, Dumbledore attends a revision session for DADA and something strange happens.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 35 An Early SpringSCENE: Another Unhappy Visitor

The four curse-breakers assigned to aide with DADA classes were well received by Professor Moody who ignored Dumbledore's complaints about Gringotts, muggleborn wizards, and too many determined students. Professor Moody quickly noticed the different curse-breakers arrived each morning before the owl windows opened in the wards and left immediately after the last DADA class – they never stayed for revision in the late afternoon by fifth, sixth, and seventh year students.

Moody kept his observations to himself though he did make certain to be in the Great Hall each morning before the owls arrived. One morning about a week after the first curse-breakers appeared to aid with instruction, Moody noticed the Potter boy's white owl appear among the other owls. She carried no letter and as soon as she landed at the Hufflepuff table, the firsties from 'puff and 'claw scrambled out of the hall, followed by the four curse-breakers.

"We got something interesting outside this morning," Moody told the other staff members who rose and hurried after the DADA professor back across the hall and out the front door.

"The wards say a dragon just flew through the owl windows!" declared Dumbledore as he hurried down the stairs from his office and shuffled toward the front door.

"Did he say 'dragon'?" asked Pomona as she paused but then hurried to catch up with the other professors – her 'puffs were already out the door.

The four curse-breakers were busy with cameras as a large red dragon – almost the size of a muggle pickup truck now, flew around the castle with an escort of a dozen owls.

"Deathrider sure has grown!" Justin remarked as Harry just stood there and smiled as his 'brother' landed in front of him. And now everyone could see that there was a wizard riding on the dragon's back.

"Who is that?" asked Susan Bones.

Deathrider landed on the gravel path and the 'puffs and 'claws who knew the dragon surged forward to hug his neck. Hedwig and Harry remained beside Death's wing that he lowered to allow his passenger to descend carefully to the ground.

The wizard spoke French only it seemed and so Harry called to Hermione and asked her to translate for him.

"Monsieur Flammel, Bienvenue à Hogwarts. Mon nom est Hermione Granger et voici mon ami Harry Potter," Hermione said in greeting as she curtseyed and Harry bowed. (Monsieur Flammel, welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Hermione Granger and this is my friend Harry Potter.)

The wizard who looked like any other fifty-year-old wizard replied, "Bonjour Mademoiselle Granger et Heir Potter, la lettre des fondateurs insistait pour que je vienne chercher ma pierre à Hogwarts." (Bonjour Miss Granger and Heir Potter, the letter from the founders was most insistent that I come and retrieve my stone from Hogwarts.)

"Yes, sir…" Harry began to say.

"Nicolas! What are you doing here?" Dumbledore demanded to know as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Now the visitor turned on the headmaster and began speaking in rapid French.

"Imbecile! Où est ma pierre? C'était bien caché à Gringotts! Pourquoi avez-vous amené dans une école d'enfants! (Fool! Where is my stone? It was safely hidden at Gringotts! Why did you bring into a school of children!)

Harry's eyes grew wide when he suddenly could understand the French sentences spoken by the visitor.

Dumbledore mumbled and then smiled, "Nicholas, your English is perfectly good. Now, why don't we retire to my office…"

"Non! Tu agiteras cette drôle de baguette comme tu l'as fait quand tu m'as convaincu de stocker la pierre à Londres il y a vingt ans!" (No! You will wave that funny wand like you did when you convinced me to store the stone in London twenty years ago.)

"Il a utilisé la magie pour vous convaincre de stocker la pierre de la Philosphère à Londres?" Hermione asked. (He used magic to convince you to store the Philosopher's Stone in London?)

"Oui!" Flammel announced. "Il a utilisé un sort de compulsion si puissant qu'il m'a fallu un mois pour comprendre ce qu'il avait fait." (He used a compulsion spell so powerful it took me a month to figure out what he had done.)

Hermione translated the alchemist's words into English for the staff and students to hear.

"Nicolas, I insist we take this into the privacy of my office!" Dumbledore said as he pulled out his funny wand.

Quickly Harry pulled his wand and cast a shield in front of the visitor.

"Mr Potter, drop your shield!" commanded Dumbledore when he found he couldn't overcome the shield of an eleven-year-old student.

"No, headmaster. He is a guest invited by the founders. They will interview him first!" Harry insisted.

Frowning, Dumbledore cast more spells at the shield but rather than breaking through the child's shield, the spells reflected back toward the headmaster and he had to jump to the side again and again. There was laughter among the students watching the headmaster dance around the spells that exploded in the ground or against the walls of the castle.

"Albus Dumbledore! How dare you cast a spell like that toward children!" yelled McGonagall as she and the other staff members threw spells at Dumbledore.

Without breaking his concentration, Harry remained silent and kept his shield in place to protect the guest.

During the kerfuffle between the headmaster and his staff, Deathrider silently approached the doorway and when Dumbledore next turned around, he found an angry dragon baring its teeth in his face. Needless to say, the headmaster apparated out of the courtyard and hid in his office for the rest of the day.

Pomona Sprout leaned against a pillar for a moment to be that close to a living, angry dragon but she stood straighter when she watched her 'puffs once again running up to hug the dragon's neck and thanking him. She'd have to revaluate her opinion of dragons it seemed; her 'puffs couldn't be wrong.

When Harry and Hermione led Nicholas Flammel to the portrait frame where the four founders gathered, the three were followed by most of the school. Very quickly the wizard began a conversation with the portraits in a French dialect from four centuries in the past.

"I can't understand one word in four," Hermione confessed. "And they're talking too fast…"

"Where is my treasure!" Nicholas finally asked in English once the founders and the alchemist ran out of words.

"Monsieur Flammel, Ragnock, Director of Vaults at Gringotts asked me to tell you that if you come to the bank, you may retrieve your stone. He will be available to you at any hour of the day or night," Harry said before he bowed. "And I am certain that my brother, Deathrider, will be glad to carry you to London."

"The dragon has a name?" asked the alchemist in English.

"Yes sir," Harry replied as the crowd parted to allow the pair to return to the courtyard. Hedwig waited there with Fawkes who was fascinated by the red dragon. There were a few of the other owls and two or three of the students interested in magical creatures more than the alchemist around the dragon who appeared to enjoy the attention.

Harry explained, "My brothers and sisters in Gringotts are learning English and Garfish. We speak parsel-tongue already…"

"And the dragon… Deathrider understands English?"

"Perfectly," Harry said as they reached the courtyard.

Flammel immediately went to the dragon and bowed.

"Monsieur Deathrider, I wish to thank you for bringing me so far north today. The flight on your back was the most marvellous experience I have had in a century!"

"Death, would you carry Mr Flammel back to Gringotts? He needs to see Ragnock," Harry asked.

"I will glad be carry kind wizard to see Gnarlyknees," Deathrider replied in scratchy English. Hearing his 'brother' speak made the grin on Harry's face grow wider.

"Gnarlyknees?" asked the alchemist.

"The house elves give the goblins descriptive names," Harry explained. "The dragons think they're funny."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Taxes and Endowments

In April, Dumbledore was summoned to the Wizengamot to testify about the Hogwarts budgets. He avoided directly answering any question regarding his expense account and consequently was saddled with a goblin accountant for all expenses – each invoice would be reviewed by the goblin and payment made after the goblin forwarded the invoice to four different members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors for approval.

"But Hogwarts always pays for my vacation!" he complained a week later when the goblins denied one outrageous expense. The goblin objected to the invoice from Shangri-La Resorts for a four week stay the headmaster had planned for July. The governors rebuked the headmaster that nothing in his contract mentioned paying for his vacation.

Ironstream, Sowsbreath, and Mr Finch-Fletchley filed the paperwork with the ministry to create the 'Merlin New Magic Foundation' on a busy Thursday afternoon. The Daily Prophet began carrying advertisements from the foundation that same weekend that they would shore up the Hogwarts budget with sufficient funds to bring the school up to current international standards.

Minister Diggory and Chief Warlock Greengrass welcomed the infusion of gold and beat back each attempt by purebloods to cut the current Hogwarts budget or bar the foundation from interfering in matters of pureblood society.

Each time Dumbledore attempted to manipulate the different factions of wizards in the Wizengamot over the matter, he left the fireplace with burnt fingers or singled eyebrows. Not even dark wizards wanted his assistance if it meant he'd return to power.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Roger Heathcliff's Letters

During the winter months, Harry and Justin were true to their word and helped Roger and Cathy continue their courtship via muggle post. When informed by Apollo what was occurring with the letters the elves carried back and forth to Gringotts for muggle posting, Felicity arranged to meet with Cathy Earnshaw and her parents.

"And you're serious about an engagement with Roger, then?" Felicity asked.

"We don't know how we'll work it out, but I will go to medical school eventually and we'll straddle the two worlds."

"What if I can get you into a training program to be a healer with Gringotts?" the healer asked. "St. Mungo's and Hogwarts are teaching themselves into a shortage of healers in just a few years. The goblins want to have a working medical system in place that offers magical people an alternative."

Once assured that the medical license from Gringotts would be good in the magical and the muggle world, and that their daughter and future son-in-law would live in the muggle world, Mr and Mrs Earnshaw agreed to allow their daughter to take her NEWTs in Switzerland in April when she turned seventeen.

Unaware of the correspondence with the muggleborn witch, Professors Sprout, Flitwick and McGonagall took steps to protect Roger's project from the headmaster. Albus would have attempted to interject his name into the documents and claimed some part of the credit for the development of the new apparition technique if he'd known about it.

With his seventeenth birthday approaching on 29 April, Roger Heathcliff's paper on improvements to the apparition spell was published simultaneously in Switzerland, Australia, America, France, and the United Kingdom. Professor Sprout nipped Dumbledore's attempt to take credit for the spell by helping Roger publish four preliminary reports in March and April that documented how he, and he alone, had created the spell.

There were reporters from across the globe in Hogsmeade requesting to meet with the young genius on 30 April. Dumbledore only paid attention to the wards when the visitors were admitted to the castle. Since the episode with the dark wizards and Salazar Slytherin's portrait, he was loath to meet with any visitors.

"It's a crowd of reporters, Headmaster," Filius explained through the floo in his office. "Shall I send them to your office? I can only imagine what they want to talk to you about…"

"No! I am not available," Dumbledore insisted before he cut the floo connection and locked his office. He retreated to his bedroom and paid no further attention to the wards.

Even the Daily Prophet reported the story honestly on 1 May, and Roger Heathcliff was hailed as a rising star in Magical Britain. That same day, his parents were approached by four different families about marriage contracts but Mr and Mrs Heathcliff decided to play the different offers against each other until the end of the school year before choosing the best marriage contract for their only child.

On 2 May, a team of goblins met with Roger in Hogsmeade at Rosie's Tavern to discuss his options with dealing with his parents and his new-found notoriety. Two days later, Pomona took Roger from school for the afternoon. They met with Cathy Earnshaw and her parents in Gringotts where an ironclad betrothal agreement was signed. Once the document was filed with the ministry that evening, and an official announcement was published in the Daily Prophet, a copy of the document was hand-delivered to Roger's parents by a Gringotts curse-breaker.

Furious with their son and the mudblood whore who'd 'trapped' Roger, the couple failed to read the entire document before they rushed to the muggle home of the 'mudblood bitch'. They were followed by the curse-breaker who documented the attempt by the witch and wizard to curse the house, the girl, and her family.

As soon as they began casting spells, Mr and Mrs Heathcliff collapsed and their magical cores drained away for attempting to violate the betrothal agreement. Notified by another department in the Ministry that magic was being used in a muggle area, Aurors appeared and for once examined the evidence – they spoke to the curse-breaker, collected the wands from the couple and verified that they'd attempted to cast fire spells and bombards on the house.

The DMLE staff transported the couple to St. Mungo's where they would require several months of care before they could begin to cast spells again. For now, they were classified as 'temporary squibs'.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: DADA Practical Class

On a Saturday in May, Alastor Moody approached Severus Snape to help him with a special class for the students in fifth-year and seventh-year; the young wizards and witches had made significant strides in spell casting, shields and defence strategies that year and the DADA professor wanted to kick-off a final round of revisions for the students before they began NEWTs and OWLs.

The sixth-year students would be the opponents for the students in both years with the two professors acting as judges. In a moment of weakness, Moody decided to allow students from the other years to watch the practical session.

In the Great Hall, Professor Flitwick and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall agreed to raise and maintain wards that would protect all the students not on the 'duelling floor', and the house elves removed the tables and benches before they created bleachers for the students.

Harry arrived in the hall with the other firsties from Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw with a sprinkling of Gryffindors and Slytherins. The students knew their first year was ending but they were excited about their plans for summer. While they waited for the class to begin, they talked about their exams and next year.

"Who do you think will teach DADA in September?" asked Susan Bones.

"Why wouldn't it be Professor Moody again?" asked Neville. The group was seated directly behind Nymphadora Tonks to support her performance in the class.

"There some sort of curse on the DADA job," Tonks told the firsties. "I've had a different professor every year!"

Harry and Hermione put their heads together and agreed to ask Ironstream about a curse-breaker to investigate.

"The foundation can pay for their time and magic," Hermione said.

"The headmaster can't object to that…" Harry said but then his friend rolled her eyes. Hermione learned the hard way that Dumbledore objected to everything the foundation proposed when he vetoed the attempt to form a 'muggle' chemistry class to complement the potions class.

*(+++++)*

With the students safely behind the wards, Moody and Snape began the practical with the seventh-year students casting their strongest shields to withstand bombards and piercing spells. The sounds of the deflected spells bouncing back against the wards were loud and exciting, leading the younger students to applaud and shout encouragement to the older schoolmates.

Twenty minutes into the demonstration, Healer Troutman had only treated a single student who'd let his shield slip after a steady attack that lasted five minutes. McGonagall allowed a faint smile appear on her face – the test scores for DADA might make up for lower Transfiguration scores.

The doors of the Great Hall opened at that moment and allowed Albus Dumbledore to enter.

*(+++++)*

"Headmaster, did you come to observe the practical?" McGonagall asked when he stopped beside her as she maintained her wards.

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore replied as he smiled at everyone, the twinkle in his eyes. "I am always interested in how well the students perform…"

Moody grunted and asked, "Then why is the only the second time this entire year that you've come around a DADA class?"

Remembering the other time Dumbledore came to a DADA class, the firsties from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw allowed their wands to slide from their wrist holders into their hands.

"Now Alastor, I am always aware of what is taught in each classroom," insisted Dumbledore. He moved to the end of the bleachers, conjured himself a throne and then sat. While the headmaster was occupied with his conjuration, the firsties all moved to the opposite end of the seats and away from the headmaster.

Flitwick made a show of extending the wards to protect the headmaster while also erecting wards between the headmaster and the students. McGonagall frowned as Dumbledore did cast several compulsion spells for recklessness toward the bleachers but each spell slowly rebounded back upon the headmaster who failed to notice the spells returning.

As the fifth-year students completed their rounds of spells, Dumbledore rose from his throne and approached the ward separating the students watching the older students and the younger students.

"This is most exciting!" he announced. "There'll be many Outstanding grades awarded on NEWTs and OWLs this spring!"

"Now, we should all give a round of applause for the seventh- and fifth-year students, their professors, and the sixth-year students who assisted," insisted the headmaster.

The students in the bleachers promptly applauded before Dumbledore motioned for McGonagall and Flitwick to lower the wards.

"Now, I should like to see each of the fifth-year students to demonstrate the Expelliarmus spell because I am certain it is on the OWLs this year."

"It's on the OWLs every year, headmaster," Moody groused but the Auror didn't intervene.

One by one, the fifth-year students demonstrated their prowess with the spell that disarmed their opponent – the sixth-year students who were instructed to stand and allow the spell to hit them. When one of the Hufflepuffs completed the spell, the headmaster shook his head.

"Miss Clancy, you must add flourish to the last twizzle of the wand… Allow me to demonstrate," Dumbledore said quicker than anyone could have guessed.

Moody recognized that the headmaster was planning some move or spell that might harm the students – he cast shields across the front of the seats where the first and second year students sat while McGonagall moved, transfiguring chairs into walls that were thrown across the path where Dumbledore's wands pointed.

But suddenly Dumbledore staggered and appeared to be listening to another voice. Without a word to anyone, he ran from the Great Hall and out the gates of Hogwarts. When he apparated away, the crack was loud enough to be heard throughout the castle.

"What was that all about?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore has been so weird this spring," Justin commented and the other kids just nodded in agreement. Harry found that his wand and egg were both warm – they'd recognized the potential danger of being in the path of Dumbledore's spells.

Minerva and Alastor cleaned up the debris in the great Hall and the house elves soon put the room back to rights with the normal tables and chairs. Severus Snape spent several minutes casting spells before he approached McGonagall and Moody.

"I think you'll have visitors from the Ministry soon."

Moody's face grew thoughtful as Minerva asked, "Why do you think that Severus?"

"My spells examined the residue from the headmaster's apparition. He put a tremendous amount of power into the spell and he travelled outside of Britain. Somewhere on the continent I believe… The ministry will be most unhappy that a wizard just violated international treaties to travel across borders like that."

(******)


	36. Chapter 36

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The Goblins ask the British government for assistance. Remus Lupin is assigned to help and he is witness to Goblin Armies in the field. An old enemy is brought to justice.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 36 Justice Goblin Style

*(+++++)*

SCENE: A Simple Request

On a Wednesday afternoon, Andrew Lovett, Director MI-5 and his associate, Remus Lupin were escorted into the office of Ironstream, the Potter account manager, where they found their host as well as Healer Felicity Grossman and Sowsbreath, the goblin responsible for the teams of curse-breakers in the bank as well as the Memory Project.

"Lovett, prompt as always," Ironstream said in greeting as he waved both wizards to chairs in front of his desk.

"Account Manager, your letter made the request seem urgent," Lovett replied.

"There's been a development in the review of memories from the pensieve."

Lovett and Lupin leaned forward as Sowsbreath took over and explained, "We have viewed and studied several good memories of the location of Nuremgard. The castle is located on the border between Switzerland and Austria – within fifty metres. The Swiss have strong monitoring wards around their borders – have had 'em for over a hundred years. Nuremgard is built where the Swiss wards overlap onto the peak of an Austrian Alp. Neither country can really see it…"

"Have you confirmed with spy photographs?"

"What are spy photographs?" asked Ironstream.

"Satellites overhead take pictures of every square inch of the earth. With the proper magic applied to muggle systems, wizarding wards show up as woods generally. We figured that out when there were stands of ancient oak trees appearing in the Sahara Desert. We had to work fast with the Americans to alter the magic in their computer systems to continue to hide the wards."

Sowsbreath frowned. "I don't care if they appear as pink Erumpents in tutus. Can the photos help us pinpoint Nuremgard Castle?"

"Without a doubt," Litton replied. "Allow me to make a call and I can have the photos for you tonight."

"From America?"

"They'll send us a file electronically and we can print it here in London."

"Sounds like magic," Felicity quipped and Remus smiled, delighted at her humour.

Litton cleared his throat and asked, "Why are you so determined to locate the castle?"

"The goblins are going to war," replied Ironstream.

(*****)

SCENE: Goblins Going to War

"What? With who?" Lovett asked, his level of concern evident to everyone in the room. "The situation with the Soviet Union is tense right now. We think there'll be problems there this summer. A 'war' – even between Goblins and few wizards could spark…"

Sowsbreath spoke up, "After consideration of the secrecy of our information on Dumbledore, Ironstream and I met with Healer Grossman and with Director Ragnock for an entire afternoon. We decided that if the general goblin population ever discovered the news that Gellert Grindelwald survived for more that forty-five years after the end of the war – in a safe, secure haven, while thousands of goblins lay dead because of the man… forty-five years of dreams, breath, sight; things denied to innocent younglings, wives, and warriors just because they were goblins…"

"I spoke in favour of informing the other banks," Felicity added. "Harry's future depends on fair treatment of every magical people and how could the goblins in Russia, Germany, and the rest of Europe see him as the 'Great Speaker' for all magic if 'he' had held back this information?"

Remus and Litton exchanged a glance.

"What else can we do?"

(*****)

SCENE: Let Me Borrow Your Werewolves

Ironstream smiled and turned his gaze on the reformed werewolf. Sowsbreath had to moderate his breathing – the goblin's excitement since hearing the decision of the Directors had been hard to corral.

"Gringotts London would like to borrow your werewolves for a mission," Ironstream said. He turned toward Lupin and continued, "You have spent time in southern Germany we understand… Helping the German magical government, small as it is, reach out and organize their packs of werewolves. We understand you plan to teach them the animagus technique you've learned here in Britain."

Remus nodded, "There are a few packs in the region. They generally cross the borders of Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia with impunity. The communists don't admit that magic exists…"

"Let us hope that Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin enjoy eternity in hell," Ironstream spit. The communists refused to believe in magic, and when they needed funding for industrialization in the 1920's, we offered financing but the Bolsheviks turned on the goblins in Russia."

Sowsbreath took over the request, "Without the blessing of the German ministry for Magic, we want Lupin to go with other reformed werewolves to map the approaches to Nuemgard, note the defences, and interview a few of the locals."

Lovett nodded and asked, "How soon?"

"Immediately. The Directors of every goblin bank on the continent demand that we have Grindelwald's head on a spike before the first day of summer."

"Can you gather and transport armies that quickly? What if there's a siege that lasts for months?"

"There won't be," Ironstream replied. "We have the means to transport our soldiers instantly with portkeys."

"But the castle's defences?" questioned Lovett.

"You forget Lovett, Gringotts has dragons."

(*****)

SCENE: We Have Dragons

"You can't take immature dragons into battle!" Lupin objected. "They don't understand the dangers…"

"Not our London dragons," Sowsbreath agreed. "The Great Speaker would hound me and Ironstream out of existence if we allowed one of his 'little brothers or sisters' to come to harm."

The Potter account manager smiled and picked up the idea, saying, "But we believe that our dragons can talk to the mature dragons guarding the banks in Frankfurt and Bern. With direction from Death and Swampy, we believe the grown dragons can penetrate any wizard wards within fifteen minutes. Then it'll be battle-axes against any wizards on guard and we'll have the monster's head on a spike before the day is done."

"Will Switzerland's Magical Government allow the goblins in Bern to get involved?"

"We're going to war, not a political convention. We present the wizards in Bern with a 'fait acompli' and they dare not complain. They did nothing when the goblins begged to be allowed to bring families from the German branches to Switzerland before the bombings. Then the Director of the Bern branch lost half of his family when Grindelwald destroyed Gringotts Vienna," Sowsbreath said. "He'll lay the corpses of his dead family on the steps of the Swiss Ministry if they object."

"And the ICW?" asked Lovett.

Ironstream smiled, "Who? Do you mean Dumbledore's fan club? We're most interested in what the ICW will say when they realize Dumbleshorts has lied to them since 1945 about the end of Grindelwald. They published the news that Grindelwald is dead… And gave Dumblecrap the credit."

"Now they'll have egg, dragon snot, and troll turds on their faces when the head of Gellert Grindelwald is mounted on a pole in front of Bern Gringotts with fresh blood still draining from it."

"They'll turn on Dumblesquat so fast, his latest robes will catch fire from the friction!"

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Remus and Felicity

"Healer Grossman?"

The woman turned from the conversation between Lovett and Sowsbreath, to nod her head to the reformed werewolf.

"Does Harry know…"

"Oh goodness no. And I had strong words with Hedwig, the 'children', Hagrid, and elves. I told them under no circumstances were they to let Harry know anything about this!"

"Good, I was concerned he would insist on visiting the dragons before they talked to the other dragons in Germany…"

"Apollo was more concerned that Harry, Neville, and Justin would want to see any battle – in person." The healer shook her head and said, "I had to pull rank as Harry's guardian and give each elf explicit instructions that they were not to tell Harry and if he found out and asked, they had to bring him to me here in the bank!"

Remus smiled; the healer was very determined to protect her 'cub'.

"That's excellent. I'll be there and I can provide the boys with the memory when it is all over," the werewolf promised.

Felicity nodded and added, "He'd be worried about you too. I understand all the children liked you last fall. In fact, I would like to ask if I could send one of Harry's elves with you."

"A house elf?"

"They're very handy, you know. They can pop you out of sticky situations…"

"I wouldn't want to deprive Harry and his friends of the elf's help."

The healer waved away the objection. "McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick have got Dumbledore under control at Hogwarts this spring. I'll send Ares with you."

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Remus in Austria

The morning of the battle began with Remus and the eight reformed werewolves meeting with a team of goblin curse-breakers in the forest. The goblins immediately broke into four teams who moved to four points around the castle and began casting wards that blocked all apparition, port keys, brooms, and other standard wizard transportation. Any floo connections within the castle were cut off from the central European network within seconds of the goblins beginning their work.

The first army of five hundred goblins arrived from Frankfort, the closest location of a Gringotts Bank, and the warriors swarmed over the area, setting out beacons for the next armies to arrive. Remus found himself reporting to Sowsbreath and Ironstream as Litton waited with Director Ragnock for the London army to reinforce positions with the other goblins.

"I'm impressed Director," Litton confessed to the head of the London bank. "Your international teams cooperate smoothly."

"Wizards have only ever beaten us because they breed larger numbers of warriors than goblins do," the director admitted. "We don't multiply like rats…"

Litton laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

Before noon, there were four thousand goblin warriors – from eight branches of Gringotts bank present around the castle. Goblins representing Frankfurt, Bern, London, Minsk, Florence, Barcelona, Budapest, and Stockholm, all determined to have the head of Gellert Grindelwald today.

At the exact moment of noon, two dragons appeared in the sky over Nuremgard. A beautiful golden dragon screamed her defiance of the wizards on the walls around the castle and settled on the narrow road leading to the gates. She captured the full attention of the defenders until the red dragon, powerful and equally strong, began his fiery attack against the wards of the castle.

Immediately behind the goblin lines, but with a clear view of the castle, Flatfoot, Swampbreath, Deathrider, and Whatchamacallit appeared with Hagrid to watch the battle. The four are animated with conversation though Swampy stopped long enough to step close to Remus and take a look at him, her nostrils flaring as she 'breathed' him.

Hagrid ambled over to explain, "She's just making sure yer healthy… Healer Grossman asked the little ones to check on ye and bring you straight home if you needed healing."

"She did?" asked Remus with surprize though the four dragons all laughed to hear his response. Along the goblin battle lines, the sound of the dragons laughing cheered the warriors who were moving toward the castle.

In the front ranks, Sowsbreath believed that Grindelwald would finally die this day!

(*****)

SCENE: Guard Duty

While the red dragon continued to burn his way through the wards around the castle, Remus and Hagrid were caught off guard when Death and Swampy disappeared.

"Where'd dey go?" Hagrid worried as he hurried to the two remaining dragons. Whatcha laughed lightly and wrapped his neck around his 'father' to reassure the half-giant.

Less than five minutes passed before the two dragons reappeared beside their brother and sister.

"Are ye alright?" Hagrid demanded to know. "Where did ye go?"

"Thieves think it time to rob Frankfurt Gringotts with dragon in battle. Swampy and Death teach them lesson," the red dragon replied and Hagrid just smiled.

"Good job!" Hagrid told his children. "Ye're protecting the banks!"

Just then, the last ward fell and the golden dragon leapt forward, throwing herself around one of the outermost towers, she banged her fist into the stone and windows about half way up, and began pulling stone lose and throwing it back inside the courtyard of the castle. The tower trembled and began to collapse under the dragon's physical assault.

Remus watched the dragon's head appeared from the ruins of the tower with two wizards caught in her jaws. Apparently, she caught the pair of wizards attempting to cast spells at her. The werewolf was pleased to see her fling them across the forested mountain side rather than swallow them. Goblins stationed in the forest hurried to capture the wizards so they'd not escape and raise the alarm if they survived.

(****)

Later Whatcha asked the dragon, Lady Great Fire, why she didn't just eat the wizards.

The dragon from Bern explained with her strongest recommendation, {Young one, never eat wizards! Never! They taste horrible, give you gas – explosive gas – and then your stomach regurgitates the mass and you have to chew and chew to get them to digest properly… Just burn wizards… or tear them apart and banish the remains… But never eat a wizard!}

Whatcha nodded enthusiastically; he and siblings liked their wizards too much to consider biting them let alone killing and eating them. He thought for a moment; well perhaps the occasional wizard deserved to be roasted but the corpse would be banished and not eaten. He'd make certain the others knew this too.

(*****)

The goblin warriors surged forward, attacking the gateway leading into the castle and Remus watched carefully – goblin tactics needed to be studied carefully.

(*****)

SCENE: A History Lesson

It wasn't until after Harry returned to Gringotts for the summer that he learned of the 'One Day Goblin War' in Austria. He had endless questions about the reason for the fight, the actual battle, and he began to listen when he learned about the consequences. Each lesson with a goblin included questions about the 'war' at some point or another.

"Was it a real war?" he asked Sowsbreath. "It only lasted a couple hours."

"The memory you watched from Mr. Lupin had the boring parts cut out."

"The boring parts?" the boy asked. He didn't understand how a war could be boring.

"We planned for several months and trained very hard. I had to climb a fifty-foot stone wall to prove I could still take part in battle…"

"Fifty feet?" asked the boy. "Really?"

"The practice field is in the caverns underneath Kent," Sowsbreath said. "Nothing for you to explore for a couple more years."

Harry nodded reluctantly but then gave the goblin his full attention. There was a new scar across Sowsbreath's face where a wizard's spell almost blinded him.

"Just before dawn, we assembled armies from London, Paris, Florence, Bern, Minsk, and Frankfurt – five hundred of the best goblins from each bank,"

"Three thousand goblins for one battle?" asked Harry. He had trouble imagining that many goblins in any single location.

"But we had to stand in ranks for several hours as the curse-breakers prepared the ground. When they were ready, we sent for the dragons," Sowsbreath explained. Without doubt, he was the best goblin to ask for information about the battle.

"In the memory, I saw the dragons from a distance," Harry admitted. "Mr Lupin wasn't part of the attack."

"Yes, we threw the dragons against the battlements in the first attack," Sowsbreath said. "That red one…"

"Death? That wasn't Death, was it" Harry asked, concerned that his bravest brother might have been in the battle and possibly injured.

"No, the dragons we used were from Frankfurt and Bern. The red dragon was from Frankfurt Gringotts; he burned his way through the outermost wards in three minutes. Your brothers and sisters came with Hagrid to watch but only watch. They're too young to be in battle."

Ignoring the hint about 'too young for battle', Harry leaned forward, "Wow! That's fast!"

"And then the golden dragon from Bern physically attacked the tower on the corner of the castle; that's were the warding stones were located. She ripped them from the walls and the castle's defences were destroyed."

"What then?"

"Then the goblins attacked!" Sowsbreath said. "It took five minutes to get some of our warriors over the walls using ropes but then they lowered the draw bridge, and we stormed the castle. Some of the guards surrendered when faced with our bloody axes but we fought our way to the top of the castle."

"And who did you find? What happened?"

Sowsbreath considered the child for a moment and then beckoned him closer to the pensieve to show him the memory.

(****)

SCENE: End of Grindelwald

There were yells from goblins and pleas from the mouths of wizards in the air. Sowsbreath was an old goblin but his heart was in this battle as he led four goblins up the castle through the wizards defending the prisoner. Their axes chopped through arms and wands, legs and armour, doorways and a few windows. On his left were a pair of goblins from Frankfurt and on his right, a pair of goblins from Minsk – descendants of the few survivors of Grindelwald's wars against their kind on the continent.

"Old one, there's a single staircase left to climb!" a Frankfurt goblin announced as he surged forward, battling a wizarding ward with his battle-axe.

The other four goblins – Sowsbreath included – began throwing spells to neutralize the ward's defences. The noise of battle behind them grew – as many as two hundred wizards from Germany and Austria had joined the defence of Nuremgard. But goblins struck them down and took off arms, legs, and heads today.

"I should have brought more goblins," Sowsbreath snarled but then the ward fell and two goblins surged up the stairs while Sowsbreath the two youngsters from Frankfurt apparated to stand behind the dozen wizards protecting the final door. Three battle-axes soon made it only six wizards caught between two attacking forces of goblins.

And then there were no wizards left standing and the pools of blood began to run down the stairs. Sowsbreath led the way to the cell door where he examined the lock.

"Set to one wizard's magic and he's not here…"

"How unkind of Dumbledore not to provide a key!" one of the young goblins mentioned as he took his axe and began to smash the doorway.

A face appeared in the small window of the doorway for a moment, an old wizard who sneered, "Goblins! How is it possible for goblins to have come to free me?"

Furious that the beast Grindelwald could imagine that any goblin would free him, Sowsbreath let forth a goblin war yell, that spurred the younger goblins forward and four battle-axes struck the door simultaneously, splintering the magical wood, destroying the final wards, and sending a message to Dumbledore.

Swarming over the ruins of the door, the young goblins rushed inside as Sowsbreath followed gripping his axe with renewed firmness.

(*****)

Harry pulled out of the memory, his face just a little green for a moment before he asked, "Did you mean to take four whacks to chop his head off completely?"

"Yes, young Speaker, I did," Sowsbreath admitted. "I struck him four times with weak blows to magnify his pain. The first blow was for Gringotts Coventry, the second for Gringotts Hamburg, the third for Gringotts St Petersburg, and the last blow for Gringotts Vienna."

"It's terrible but…"

"But?"

"Justice… this evil wizard killed so many people – goblins, wizards and magical creatures. I sorta understand why you did it," Harry admitted.

"When it is our turn to have the head on display, I will demand that Ironstream brings you and your friends to London to see it."

Interested again at the idea of seeing a wizard's head on a spearpoint, Harry asked, "Won't the head rot away?"

"Only when we permit it," Sowsbreath admitted. "We want wizards to see that goblins don't forget and won't forgive."

"Everybody says justice is important," Harry said. He glanced back at the pensieve but decided against watching the bloody beheading a second time.

"I think I'll go talk to the dragons. Whatcha has had some stories about the battle and Death's worried he'll never get a chance to fight like that."

"Very well," Sowsbreath said as the boy-who-lived ran out of his office and headed toward the carts. The goblin would accept the Healer's unhappiness when she learned the boy had viewed the beheading.

His lips quivered remembering the taste of Grindelwald's blood. While he agreed with dragons that wizard flesh was not good for one's digestion, the taste of your enemy's fresh blood, taken from your battle-ax at the end of battle is the best flavour in the world.

(*****)

SCENE: Dumbledore's Lament

The dragons were transported home immediately, and Remus and Litton vanished under their most powerful notice-me-not charms as the 'clean up' began. The goblins secured the surviving guards, about half of the wizards who appeared had surrendered immediately and half of the ones who attempted to fight had lost only a single limb. Almost fifty wizards lay dead about Nuremgard and now with the battle complete, representatives from the Magical Governments of Austria, Switzerland, and Germany appeared.

None of the bureaucrats were happy but their Aurors held them back from making stupid commands that no one would follow; goblins held the field today. Then there were two more arrivals – a contingent of hit wizards and paper-pushers from the ICW based in Bern appeared in front of the drawbridge, while high on the battlements, the figure of Albus Dumbledore appeared.

Dumbledore rushed into the castle and the hit wizards from the ICW apparated to the higher portions of the castle to investigate as the six directors of the branches of Gringotts sent their own 'hit goblins' to aide their warriors holding the castle.

"Philpot, what is this?" ICW Mugwump Alberto Santos demanded of the director of Gringotts Bern. Even with the crowd around them, the directors and ICW wizards could hear the sound of renewed battle raging in the upper reaches of the castle.

(*****)

"Gellert? Where are you?" called Albus Dumbledore when he apparated onto the landing outside the cell where he'd confined the evil wizard for forty-five years.

"Why, he's down here," called Sowsbreath from the bottom of the staircase. Dumbledore ran down the stairs, blood soaking the hems of his garish robes. He froze on the bottom step where he found five goblins in a horrible scene. As Albus stood there, the goblins hoisted up a spear with Gellert's head stuck on it… Gellert's eyes still shone… his lips still quivered… his blood ran down the shaft of the spear.

"No!" Dumbledore yelled as his wand rose and he cast spells at the goblins, blasting two of them against a wall. The one holding the spear aloft was blown into a hundred bits, and one was slashed across the face. But the fifth goblin tackled Dumbledore, pulling the wizard to the floor where he proceeded to pummel and beat him.

More goblins and then the ICW hit wizards poured into the room and the battle continued for two more minutes. Another goblin died and three hit wizards were decapitated before Sowsbreath stood, blood covering his face, and yelled, "Victory! Stand down ICW or face a full goblin revolt around the world!"

(*****)

The aftermath stretched out over several hours. Dumbledore was restrained by goblins and then by hit wizards. The head of Gellert Grindelwald disappeared with a group of injured wizards headed for Frankfurt. Remus Lupin and Litton left the battlefield by a strong portkey, returning to London via a stopover in Paris where they were debriefed by Gringotts Paris, the French Magical Ministry, and some cooler heads from the ICW.

(*****)

Dumbledore was taken into custody and held in the Bern offices of ICW for two days while that body met to consider what to do. Despite Dumbledore's demands, the ICW members refused to declare war against the goblins.

The members stripped Dumbledore of his position within their organization and demanded answers to their questions.

"Albus, you lied to us! You told us you killed Grindelwald in battle!"

"No, I never said that I killed him. I said that I 'defeated' him…" the wizard said sadly.

"And then you kept the worst dark lord in European history locked up for the next forty-five years!"

"He could have been turned back! He could become a good person! Everyone deserves the chance to repent!"

"And did he repent?" asked Santos, now the wizard in command of the ICW.

"He would in few more years!" insisted Dumbledore.

"And the wizards who came to his defence? Who are they?"

Albus attempted to avoid the question but eventually he had to admit the guards were descendants of some of Gellert's followers.

"So, you're supporting Grindelwald's thugs? What if they managed to overcome your wards? Your locks? Would we have another war?"

"They didn't have access to dragons," Dumbledore reasoned. "They'd never set him free."

"Go home Albus," the spokesman said. "We wash our hands of you."

"But the goblins! They attacked wizards! You can't allow that!" Albus shouted.

Santos shook his head and said, "The goblins executed a wizard with an execution order that was outstanding for fifty years. They did us a service."

(****)

Two members of the international travel office did appear at Hogwarts the same afternoon as Dumbledore's unexplained departure. The ministry had monitored the unauthorized apparition and also received a complaint from Germany's magical government. When they learned that Dumbledore was the perpetrator of the offense, they wrote up the complaint and promised to file it with the Minister in the morning.

"Make sure you do," Moody warned them. "I'll be down to check on it tomorrow afternoon."

It was another day before anyone at Hogwarts learned what had occurred to pull Dumbledore away from Scotland all the way to Germany. And it was another two days before Dumbledore returned to the castle, his robes soaked in dried blood, and his eyes tired and dead.

(****)


	37. Chapter 37

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

The British Ministry for Magic continues to trip about but Dumbledore finds a defender in a bigoted wizard who hates goblins. The Wizengamot allows Albus to remain at Hogwarts when they give him all the credit for great DADA scores on OWLS and NEWTS. But the new ambassador to the ICW burns bridges faster than anyone can cast the incendio spell.

Ooops! Forgot Umbridge (GoblinTosser) is digging tunnels to China for the goblins. So, I substituted the recovering Cornelius Fudge as the ambassador who creates waves.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 37 Exams and Conclusions

*(+++++)*

: End of Harry's First Year

The children and young adults in the Great Hall at Hogwarts celebrated the end of exams and the school year with a grand leaving feast – there were tears and laughter to spare as the seventh year students realized this was it – they would leave on the express tomorrow morning and not return again.

Nymphadora Tonks hugged many of the other 'puffs in their common room and tried to keep the tears from falling here in the hall in front of the other houses but the young witch's resolve faltered when she embraced Penny Clearwater, a prefect from Ravenclaw. They grasped each other as tears fell freely while other students stood around them not knowing what to do.

Pomona Sprout hurried to hug both girls and push them down onto the bench of the Hufflepuff table and dry their tears with a large handkerchief that was four times larger than needed.

"Professor, I think you've got an old handkerchief that Hagrid used to have…" Dora sniffled.

"You think?" Penny scoffed as she too sniffled and began to smile once again.

"I do believe it was Hagrid's at one time," Sprout replied. "But I needed it today and the elves laundered it."

The younger 'puffs and 'claws slowly walked up and took places around the two girls to tell jokes and give them more hugs.

From the staff table, Snape, McGonagall and Flitwick watched silently as several more of the graduating students cried.

The head of Ravenclaw noted that there were angry faces on several of the fifth year muggleborns – he was unsure if they resented the future that was denied them, or the years they'd lost attending Hogwarts. The half-goblin sighed as he planned home visits to his fourth year muggleborns this summer for certain.

The head of Slytherin ignored the tears and laughter in favour of planning his first experiments with the muggle lab beginning next week. He'd read the chemistry textbooks and begun some experiments to learn muggle procedures this winter and spring. He anticipated an interesting summer working with MI-5.

McGonagall remained silent watching the students but she was remembering the excitement of the Ministry officials after they completed testing the students in the DADA classes – it appeared that Hogwarts would have highest grades in defence in forty years – and the officials were leaping to the conclusion that the high scores were caused by the absence of the muggleborn students. She knew the achievement in DADA was because of the instruction by Alastor Moody and the revision schedules the retired Auror had forced each student to follow.

The officials ignored the lower scores in transfiguration and charms – no one paid attention to the potion scores – only the Slytherin students scored well in potions.

And fifty years of believing that purebloods knew best prevented Minerva from speaking up and challenging the erroneous conclusion. The wizards in charge would only hear what they wanted to hear.

*(+++++)*

Harry Potter was oblivious to the varied ideas running through the minds of his professors – he was having fun with his friends and they were planning summer adventures. Neville would visit Gringotts often but also would explore some place called 'Disney World' with his uncle and his family. Hermione and her parents were headed for Italy with Padma for three weeks and then the two girls would join the Patil family for a trip to India and the mysterious magical places there. Justin, Harry, and Ernie were going to see submarines, a couple fun parks, and museums.

And all his friends from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff would spend time in Gringotts talking with the babies and helping them with their English lessons.

*(+++++)*

Just as the children gathered at the tables to begin the feast, Peeves chose to make an appearance above the doors. With the headmaster hiding in his office rather than attend the feast, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall motioned for the poltergeist to speak, but the figure merely bowed to the witch, pulled out his violin and began playing a waltz. From out of the walls, the ghosts that inhabited Hogwarts floated out and danced in pairs above the heads of the children.

The music, the movement of the ghostly figures, and the gentle smiles of the students – from every house and every year – began to lift their spirits.

Healer Troutman knew he would return next year and he was determined to read earlier editions of Hogwarts, A History this summer. The 'Great Speaker' led the children in broom flights that left the wards glowing with power. The return of the founders… the efforts by ghosts and the poltergeist to make the school safe and welcoming to the students… had it been like this before?

The students applauded for the waltz and each of the following songs through the dinner and desserts. Then McGonagall called for everyone's attention as she announced that the house cup was awarded to Hufflepuff and the Quidditch cup was awarded to Gryffindor. There were appropriate cheers from the winners and polite applause from the other contestants.

Then Peeves cleared his throat and with Deputy Headmistress's approval, he played a final piece, a song from titled 'Come Saturday Morning,' a song about leaving something important behind and moving ahead with your life.

None of the seventh years students were able to stop a few tears rolling down their faces during the poltergeist's sweet, sad song and the students dispersed to their dorms for a final evening.

*(+++++)*

Hogwarts Express 20 June 1992

The last student left the castle and Minerva McGonagall swept her eyes over the entrance hall – the portrait of the founders had disappeared overnight and she feared Dumbledore's wand had brought about the disappearance but the headmaster had appeared at breakfast asking about the portraits like everyone else.

None of the wizards or witches knew it, but at the request of the founders portrait, 'some' elves had transported the painting to a cavern underneath Gringotts where the four founders were in conversation with four young dragons. Hagrid made the introductions and then stood back as the conversations began growing in volume and intensity for the next three hours.

An owl from the ministry appeared with a summons from the Board of Directors and the Wizengamot – Dumbledore was to make himself available for questioning by that body this morning before 9:00AM. As the headmaster hurried to his office to dress more appropriately than his robes with dancing radishes, Minerva stared after him and wondered if they would sack him today.

*(+++++)*

Saving Dumbledore

After speeches from dark and light wizards about the 'war' that finally ended the Dark Lord Grindelwald, the lies that Albus told, and the assumptions he failed to correct, Greengrass and Diggory thought they could get the members to demand the Board of Governors to end Dumbledore's tenure as headmaster.

But surprisingly, Standish Ogden, a traditionally neutral wizard with few opinions outside of the evilness of goblins, rose to speak in Dumbledore's defence.

"For the first time in decades, we have outstanding and climbing test results for the DADA scores at Hogwarts. And this achievement has occurred under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore! As the leaders of Magical Britain, it is our responsibility to protect the future and now we have proof that the headmaster's moves to remove the mudblood spawn from our school have already provided dividends!"

There was silence for many seconds but then a pureblood from the light and a pureblood from the dark each rose and began to applaud the speech.

Albus Dumbledore smiled with relief as the speech from Standish Ogden saved his position as Headmaster at Hogwarts.

The wizard who remained standing until the applause faded, then said, "And we must not forget who caused all these problems to begin with – the goblins! I reserve the right to speak again with demands against the vermin who live underneath our feet and corrupt our wealth!"

*(+++++)*

Later, Chief Warlock Greengrass spoke with Minister Diggory regarding the wizard's speech.

Amos blurted out, "The better scores were nothing to do with Dumbledore did – he didn't do anything except to ignore DADA the entire year and leave the lesson plans and classes to Auror Moody! That's what made such a difference in the defence scores."

Greengrass nodded, "But there were many muggleborns who left Hogwarts at the new year and several already have spoken about not returning after they get their OWLs."

Diggory shrugged and said, "The muggleborns leave us eventually in every case. Letting them leave early may keep a few more from latching onto some poor pureblood. The boy who developed that new apparition spell; he's betrothed himself to a mud… muggleborn and his parents were stripped of their magic for a time because they objected."

The chief warlock nodded, "It's a bad example and will mean more betrothals are put in place for youngsters before they can get involved with a muggleborn."

Ignorant of the day's speeches in Wizengamot, the children arrived at the train station in London and said their goodbyes for the summer.

*(+++++)*

ICW Reactions / Goblin Preparations

When the ICW council in Bern learned that Dumbledore had managed to keep his position as headmaster of Hogwarts, the body summoned the new British ambassador. They told him they had no confidence in the British Magical Government, and they would share the information with their muggle counterparts who would tell the British PM and Foreign Secretary.

British exports and imports of magical items were curtailed and would require additional inspections beginning immediately. British tourists were restricted to day trips but political refugees fleeing Britain would be processed much faster and with much more favourable conditions to be accepted in France, Germany, etc. The immediate impact was on critical ingredients for potions and spells such as minerals, different types of wood for wands, and dragon scales and blood.

After St. Mungo's saved Cornelius Fudge from the heart attack that should have killed him, the wizard was resentful that he'd lost his position as Minister for Magic. The wizard made his unhappiness known with threats of blackmail against several colleagues.

Minister Diggory, under pressure from several Department Secretaries and Directors, caved and named the former minister to be the new ICW representative for Britain. The dragon claw this would stick in Dumbledore's stomach was an added bonus that kept the ministry undersecretaries and directors quiet for five minutes.

In his first day attending an ICW meeting, the new British representative to the ICW, the newly minted Ambassador Fudge, proceeded to insult, threaten, and deride the council. He was personally insulted that he wasn't immediately voted onto the council and proceeded to question the blood lines of the members.

None of the other magical nations were as bigoted about 'pure blood' but every wizard and witch on the council had long family histories of accomplishments and service. The indiscriminate burning of bridges would hinder the British government and economy for years to come; however, Fudge did more for political refugees fleeing Britain than a hundred stories in the newspapers. Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands surreptitiously opened apparition points for any wizard or witch fleeing the British Magical Government.

Sowsbreath met with MI-5 Director Lovett just a few days after the meetings in the Wizengamot and the ICW council. The goblins were concerned and the British muggle government was kept an eye on developments.

"With the collapse of the Soviet Union last year, Her Majesty's government is paying close attention to all international developments; other governments have forwarded warnings about the wizards here stirring up trouble to protect Dumbledore."

Sowsbreath nodded. "We are still gathering information from the memories and any attack in the media right now would only inflame the bigots who hate goblins and everyone who isn't British."

"We do encourage Gringotts to heighten your security measures," Lovett added. "Some idiot or the ministry might get the notion to attack you."

"You're being redundant," Sowsbreath snidely quipped. "I shall bring the concerns of Her Majesty's government to Ragnock's attention immediately."

"If they do anything stupid…"

"Again, you are being redundant," Sowsbreath remarked. "They will be stupid before the end of the summer but we will strike back in ways they can't imagine. Perhaps Her Majesty's government can act as an intermediary after the wizards are bloodied."

Lovett frowned, "Do you expect bloodshed, then?"

"We believe the odds are fifty-fifty. It depends on the Grand Warlock and the Minister controlling the Wizengamot and Dumbledore."

Now Sowsbreath motioned with one hand before he said, "We recommend that you increase the number of muggleborn agents around your government officials."

Lovett nodded, "Now, I understand your earlier statements about my comments being 'redundant'."


	38. Chapter 38

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Harry's summer begins with trip to visit the submarine yard in South Hampton, Remus asks Felicity on a date, and Dumbledore's toads attempt to lay hands on Hedwig when they can't get to any of his friends.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 38 Summer Trips and Fights

*(+++++)*

SCENE Founders and Dragons

Rubeus Hagrid was honoured to introduce his children to the portraits of the witches and wizards who founded Hogwarts. Once the elves delivered the portrait of the founders to their quarters in Gringotts, the dragons began asking questions about the times a thousand years in the past.

The dragons and portraits spent the entire day as Harry travelled home in conversations on magic, history (what foods were available one thousand years ago?), politics, gold, headmasters, battles against castles, and beheadings. They discussed the memory of Sowsbreath beheading Grindelwald with four strokes and then made wild speculation about the possible identity of the executioner if they could get Dumbledore's head on the block.

They discussed how to get muggle brios and paper into use at Hogwarts. With a visit by the appropriate goblin, they learned which wizarding families would be hurt by the sudden drop in demand for quills (Malfoy) and parchment (Black and Rosier).

Gringotts managers came and joined the conversation to figure out when they should attempt to manipulate the Malfoy and Black fortunes. Ironstream listened to the conversations and made his own plans for his fortune and the Potter fortune. There'd always remain a demand for high quality parchment for contracts, important documents, as well as a demand for high quality quills (goose feathers were much better than hippogriff feathers as the hippogriff was a magic resistance predator).

If Malfoy sold off a goose farm and the Black accountant sold off a tanning factory where sheep skins were turned into parchment, he'd pick the businesses up cheap, improve the quality of their products, and then sell them with the Potter name stamped on them.

*(+++++)*

Harry and Neville's arrival in the dragon's quarters that evening meant the conversations turned more toward the past year at Hogwarts with the portraits helping to fill in missing details for the dragons.

Neville found Whatcha's English to be improving by the hour and the two began discussing formulas for calculating volumes in different geometric shapes that left the Founders and Harry with headaches.

When Felicity collected the two boys to send them to bed, she reminded Neville to say his good-byes for most of the summer.

"I'm going to visit my uncle and his family in Florida," he told the dragons. "I'll be back in August to get ready for school."

"Learn many things in Florida," Whatcha encourage the young wizard.

*(+++++)*

The founder's portrait remained in Gringotts for a week and none of the wizards who came into the bank ever knew because the picture frame and its inhabitants stayed in the dragon's quarters. When the Potter elves returned the portrait to Hogwarts, they did as the Founders requested and called the Hogwarts elves to help them place the portrait in the Great Hall where they could watch over the student body during every meal. Each founder also had a picture frame placed in the Common Room of their house and still another in the private offices of the head of each house.

Next year would be very educational for the heads of house at Hogwarts.

*(+++++)*

SCENE Submarines and Dates

"Felicity!" came a shout from Harry in their private apartment. Hurrying from her bedroom, she found Harry at the outer door with Remus Lupin looking in, a bemused look on his face.

"Professor Lupin wants to talk to you," the boy continued. Then he turned and walked toward the kitchen without another word. Remus caught the healer's eye with a question and she shook her head slightly.

"Won't you come inside, Remus?"

"Thanks," he replied coming inside and closing the door behind him. He glanced toward the vanished pre-teen once more before the healer explained.

"We're having a preview of teenage drama this morning," Felicity explained. "Harry wanted to go with Neville to Florida to visit Neville's family and I told them he'd have to wait until the next time and let the uncle issue the invitation."

"Uh, perhaps I can help then. Ironstream mentioned that last year Harry was interested in ships and submarines. I thought I'd take him to the naval yard in Southampton to see both," the man offered.

Felicity's face was interesting to watch as the man she was interested in suggested taking her ward on a day trip without asking her to accompany them.

"Okay…" she replied tentatively.

Remus stammered slightly, "Can you come with us? I thought we'd get to talk… and I thought you and I could see if…"

Waiting patiently for the man to gather his courage, Felicity was rewarded when Remus asked, "If… would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"Well, finally!" came the voice of the boy from the kitchen. "The whole week she's asked about you, talked about you, wondered when you'd be at the bank. I didn't understand what was going on until Hedwig explained it to me. Death thought it was funny but then Swampy slapped his head. They had a big fight until Hagrid made 'em stop and behave."

Harry shook his head at the mysteries of grownups.

"Anyway, now you two can go on a date and get this out of your system! When can we go see the submarines?"

"You're turn will come someday, young man!" Felicity warned him.

"Nope, not going to happen!" Harry announced from the door. "So, please, when can we go see the boats and submarines?"

It was the next morning when Remus came to take them to South Hampton to tour the naval yard. As they left Felicity's Gringotts apartment, Harry was confused when they turned down a different corridor than the usual path to the lobby.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked. "The lobby is the other way."

Remus said, "We're going to use a new exit. One where we don't go through Diagon Alley."

They descended one flight of stairs that looked and smelled very new before coming to new door where a goblin and a wizard stood guard. The goblin opened the door with the wizard blocking anyone's view back into the room, while Remus led Felicity and Harry out into a narrow hallway that led to another door that opened into a muggle subway station.

"Wicked!" Harry said with a grin. After a ride on the subway to Kings Cross, they purchased tickets to South Hampton on a train and spent just over two hours traveling to the seaport.

"Why didn't we just apparate?" Harry asked the adults.

Felicity replied, "I thought it would do you some good to remember we're living in a world with millions of muggles; many wizards get so lost in their magic that they can't see the power that the other people in the world have."

"I don't understand…"

Remus nodded and tried to explain saying, "Can you imagine your headmaster making this train ride? Or going to see submarines?"

"No," Harry admitted. "I heard him telling Professor Sprout that he remembered riding on a train in 1896 – that was almost a hundred years ago. He uses apparition and portkeys to move everywhere… never even rides a broomstick."

Harry didn't care that Remus and Felicity sat beside each other on the train and though he noticed the man held her hand the rest of the morning in South Hampton, he was much more interested in the submarine he got to explore.

They used a portkey to return to an office in London – the MI-5 office where Remus worked. Apparently, Mr Lovett wanted to speak with Felicity and Harry about visiting a few other tourist sights in England that summer, with Mr Lupin as their security.

Harry snarked, "Do I have to hold his hand too?"

Lovett looked confused for a moment though the blush on the other two adults explained everything to the director quickly and he said, "No, Mr Potter. Perhaps we should add another man to help keep an eye on them too."

"That's a great idea!" Harry replied enthusiastically.

Lovett looked at Grossman and Remus closely and asked, "Have you explained the concerns to the boy about the wizards this summer?"

"The what?" asked Felicity and Harry at the same time.

Remus frowned… well growled actually at his boss. Felicity flushed with… something… hearing the growl from Remus.

"I was going to discuss it with Healer Grossman first while Mr Potter was visiting his brothers and sisters in the dragon den. Then she and I would discuss it with him together."

"Well, since they're both here now…"

"Fine!" Remus snarled. "You explain it and be prepared for the consequences."

"What is going on? Tell me and be quick about it!" Felicity demanded rising from her chair and dominating the room.

Harry wished for Hedwig, and Apollo popped into the room with the owl who stared about, listened to a couple whispers from Harry and then landed on Lovett's desk and began hooting directly into the MI-5 director's face. The elf vanished immediately but without a pop so Harry knew his friend was available to help if needed.

When the owl hopped back and then flew to Harry's shoulder, Felicity said, "I couldn't have said it better myself Hedwig! Thank you."

Lovett exchanged glances with Lupin who merely shrugged. He had no idea if Grossman had learned to speak 'owl' – anything was possible with Harry Potter's family it seemed. Lovett suddenly realized that a Potter elf had popped into the room – was it still here? Where there more Potter elves here?

"We… MI-5 that is… we think the wizards will do something stupid this summer."

The witch grimaced and asked, "Anything specific or just regular stupid wizard moves?"

Lovett explained the speech in the Wizengamot that saved Dumbledore after the revelations of him hiding Grindelwald for forty years. And how Ogden promised to return to the 'problem of goblins'.

Hedwig hooted briefly and Harry looked worried.

He voiced his concern saying, "The babies… we took them out too much this spring. The wizards are jealous of goblins having smart dragons."

Remus nodded when he noticed Harry watching him rather than Lovett for answers. Lupin told the boy, "That wizard in the Wizengamot hates goblins and everything to do with them, including their dragons."

Without talking with Hedwig, Harry said, "But you guys are not thinking like a goblin. They know all this and they'll be ready."

Felicity was staring at Lovett when she asked, "So what are you really worried about? If the ministry tries something stupid, the goblins will shut their doors for a couple weeks…"

"Days," Remus interrupted. "Just days before the wizards panic and concede the victory to the goblins."

"And I said 'weeks' because I believe the goblins will punish the wizards," Felicity counter argued.

"We're worried about the humans who work for Gringotts," Lovett explained. "And about Harry."

Felicity waved away the man's worries. "Gringotts values its loyal employees – human, goblin, and dragon."

"Are the new entrances and exits for humans are well hidden and protected?" asked Lovett. "All secrets are vulnerable to treachery."

"As are all secrets," the healer replied, not interested in sharing any secrets with this director from MI-5. "I shall make certain that Ironstream, Sowsbreath and Ragnock hear about your concerns for our safety and any secret entrances."

Harry winced thinking about all the 'secrets' he possessed and his guardian came around the chairs to place a firm, warm hand on his shoulder while Hedwig preened her boy's hair and churled to comfort him.

"I am not attempting to pry secrets from you Healer Grossman," the wizard from MI-5 said half-heartedly.

She snorted in disbelief and asked, "What do you want with this interview?"

"We think Dumbledore and his new allies will attempt to get their hands upon Harry. Failing that, they will attempt to use force to break into Gringotts and…"

"And?"

"Kill the dragons," Lovett said.

Harry began to grow angry at the idea that anyone would think about hurting the babies but he paused when he heard Felicity laughing.

"Remus, promise me when we go out to dinner that you'll tell stories that are just as funny as this wizard," the healer said with a flip of her hand that dismissed Lovett completely.

"Healer… we believe…"

"Yes, I am certain you believe the wizards might attempt to lay hands on Harry and that the wizards might attempt to force their way into Gringotts and…"

The witch actually giggled, "…try and hurt Hagrid's babies."

Harry still frowned but he trusted Felicity to be in the know. And Harry hoped some idiot did try to get him in the Alley.

"The bank and your ward might be well protected but what about his friends?" asked Lovett.

"Who could Dumbledore touch with impunity?" Felicity asked in reply. "The muggleborn? He portrays himself as their champion and the press would eat him alive. And what would Amelia Bones do to him if he so much as looked at her niece? Or Greengrass's daughter?"

When Lovett remained silent, Felicity stood and said, "Harry, we're going home. Would you like to take the tube or elf express?"

"The tube please!" Harry replied instantly as he rose. Hedwig vanished compliments of a smart elf and left Lovett with more questions than before the conversation began.

"Come on Professor Lupin," Harry added when Remus didn't immediately rise to go with them. "I'm hungry, and you and Felicity can complete plans for your date."

On the subway, as Harry stared at the passing tunnel outside the window, Remus apologized to felicity for Lovett's rude behaviour.

"You didn't expect it either so no yellow card for you," she replied with the reference to British football and a player being ejected from the game.

"Thanks," he replied but then he cleared his throat and asked, "So, can you speak 'owl' now?"

Felicity just grinned and leaned closer, motioning Remus to come closer as if to hear her secret, but he was received with a small kiss instead.

"Ugh…" Harry moaned from across the aisle.

*(+++++)*

SCENE Summer Interlude

"Harry, what's wrong with Healer Grossman?" asked Hermione one afternoon in the depths of Gringotts. The two Hogwarts friends were headed to visit with the dragons and take them some new books. Hermione bought several (twenty-three) adventure books for girls and boys, as well as some math and science books.

"Hedwig says that Felicity fallen in love with Professor Lupin," Harry explained. Unfortunately, the boy was unprepared for a squeal of happiness that threatened to deafen him followed by his friend laughing, hugging him, and talking faster than he could follow.

Hermione, Flat and Swampy spoke for a time about Felicity and Remus while Harry spent the time learning the spells to enlarge and shrink things with dragon magic. Harry and Death discussed the differences between dragon, elven, goblin, and human magic for a longer time, each of them trying the enlarge and shrink spells in all four 'languages'. Whatcha was lost in his mathematics again that afternoon.

"They look different," Harry told his 'brother' when the discussed the spells of elves, goblins, dragons and wizards.

"They smell different," Death replied. "But result is the same."

"No, not exactly," Harry said. "The elven spell lasts for two weeks, the goblin spell lasts for two hours, the dragon spell lasts for three weeks and the wizard spell lasts for two days."

"What do you mean 'look' different?" Death asked. The dragon frowned and confessed, "To me they smell the same. What do they look like to you?"

Harry and Death discovered that they each perceived magic differently; Harry 'saw' colours around enchanted objects and people, while Death 'smelled' different odours. The dragon confessed that his Father (Hagrid) smelled better than any other wizard, even Harry and Felicity.

The 'brothers' used their different abilities to help each other and they'd made rapid progress with spells that week. Of course, Death shared all his knowledge with his Father, brother and sisters while Harry talked with Felicity, she'd asked him not to share with the other kids this summer. He'd wanted to argue but Hedwig shook her feathers out and Harry shut up.

Felicity, Remus, or some Gringotts curse-breaker insisted on walking Hermione and her parents from the bank to the muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron and Mr Granger noticed the looks that Lupin kept giving wizards who tried not to be noticed.

After a conversation on the phone with Remus at his MI-5 office, the Granger family left suddenly for an extra week in Paris before their month in Italy and then Hermione's visit to India with the Patils.

Neville's visit in Florida was extended for most of August, and Harry's other muggleborn friends were protected by amulets from Gringotts but their visits were curtailed.

+)(+**+)(+

"We can't get to anyone the boy cares about," Diggle complained.

"What about the bird? Does she goes everywhere with him?" asked Shacklebolt.

+)(+**+)(+

SCENE An Unwelcome Intrusion

"Director?"

"Yes Clawface," replied Ironstream without looking up from the report on his desk.

"Sir, there's been an incident in the owl tower."

"The owl tower?" Ironstream took a second to register the idea that something could happen in such an unusual place. "Our owl tower?"

"Yes sir," the guard began to explain. "A wizard entered the bank with several others who have all been detained. This one wizard thought he could slip away and hide underneath an invisibility cloak.

"Inside the bank?" Ironstream snorted in disbelief. "And did you follow him?"

"Of course, security followed him the entire time. We were surprized when he turned away from the hallway to the accounting offices and made his way to the owls. He looked them over but didn't make any move until he located Harry Potter's owl.

"What happened? Quickly?"

The goblin grinned as he continued with a description of the events in the owl tower, "When the wizard pulled out his wand and it became visible from underneath the cloak, an owl flew down from the wizard's blindside, and sank its talons into the wizard's hand. Then another owl flew in from the other side, grabbed the cloak and pulled it off. Then all the owls pushed the wizard from the roof."

"Pushed… from the fourth floor?"

The guard nodded, "They buffeted him with their wings while the one owl held onto his hand, but they pushed him from the edge of the roof."

Ironstream asked, "Did he bounce?"

"Twice sir," the guard reported. "He landed in the middle of Diagon Alley, scared a group of witches, then bounced up to land on the roof of Scribner's Quills, bounced once more and landed on the roof of the robe shop. Scared the clients in the store so badly Madam Malkin came out and promised to sue him."

"And the owls?"

"Apparently, they've hung the invisibility cloak up to hide the entrance to their nest boxes. They like their privacy,"

"Don't we all?"

"Sir, about the other wizards?"

"Who are they?"

"Some toads who follow Dumbledore."

Ironstream looked up with a smile on his face as an idea came to him, "Toads?"

+)(+**+)(+

SCENE A Gift of Toads

In the dragon quarters, Ironstream met with Harry Potter, Felicity Grossman and the four dragons who stood beside their father. While they waited for the prisoners to arrive, Ironstream asked Harry to call for Hedwig.

The owl flew down from the roof, and the moment she landed on Harry's arm, the boy knew his friend was agitated. The quiet conversation between boy and familiar was quick but the details were revealed to the healer and the dragons.

"What's been done about this?" asked Felicity.

"The wizard who bounced will be at St Mungo's for at least two weeks. Apparently, he broke most of the bones in his body, as well as injuring his spine, and his brain."

"He doesn't have any brains if he tried to break into Gringotts," Harry muttered and Ironstream nodded in agreement.

"The other four were detained for attempted theft."

"And what will Gringotts do with them?" asked Felicity.

Ironstream motioned for the guards to bring in the four men who had tried to help the other wizard break into the bank. The men were blind-folded and under spells that kept them from hearing, smelling or feeling most changes in their environment.

"It appears two of them are under very strong compulsions," Ironstream said motioning toward Arthur Weasley and Roger Mortimer, minor officials at the Ministry for Magic.

"These other two, Dedalus Diggle and Elphias Doge, are known associates of Albus Dumbledore."

"With the permission of Ragnock, and in light of the current tense situation with the ministry, I thought to send Mortimer and Weasley on their way with a mild headache. They'll both avoid all contact with Dumbledore and perhaps merely vomit on him the next time he attempts to question them."

Harry glanced at Hedwig who hissed at the men and turned her head back to rub it against her boy.

"Okay, but the owls won't forget this! They're likely to bomb these men for the next year," Harry said as Swampy came close to Hedwig and began humming to sooth her friend. A dragon's hum is overpowering and every human in the underground chamber felt the humming as well as heard it.

"Weasley's family gets lots of owls…" Ironstream informed the boy. "I predict their house will be decorated with chalk quite spectacularly before the first of September."

"Now for the other two, we don't want to lock them away… if we do, Gringotts has to clearly inform the ministry as to persons incarcerated here and for how long. Like your friend Longbottom's grandmother and great-uncle, we informed the ministry the same day they were sent down to dig new tunnels."

"You can't kill them," Felicity warned. "Not for something connected to Harry."

"Agreed," Ironstream said though he knew if the men had caused harm to his familiar, Harry himself would have created equal or greater pain in each wizard involved. The dragons…

Refusing to consider the clean-up required if the four dragons were involved in such a scenario, Ironstream pushed ahead.

"I propose that we return these two to Dumbledore in perfect health, but perhaps in a different form."

"What?" asked Felicity.

"They're Dumbledore's toads… I thought Harry or his brother Death might transfigure them into toads."

"Yes!" Harry said while Death chuckled, another interesting sound. Swampy spoke up, using parsel-tongue so only Harry, Hedwig and the other dragons could understand. Hedwig tilted her head one way and then the other but then nodded.

Harry grinned and Ironstream felt a shiver run down his spine; this young wizard would change the world someday and anyone who stood in his way would regret their decision.

"My sister Swampy has an idea about this transfiguration, Director Ironstream," Harry said as Felicity stepped closer and tilted Harry's head up for just a moment, to glance at his eyes.

That she said nothing told Ironstream the boy was determined on this course of action.

"Your sister's idea?" asked the goblin.

"Death, Swampy and me, we've been looking and smelling how dragon, elf, goblin and human magic are different. They look different to me and smell different to the dragons. We know our spells last different lengths of time."

"Continue…"

"Well, remember when the dragons flew with me, Hedwig and other kids at Christmas? At Daphne Greengrass's home?"

"Yes," Ironstream replied and nodded.

"We've figured out that when we flew together, we combined our magics – dragon, elf and wizard. And Sowsbreath swears the wards around the house are so strong now that it would take one hundred curse-breakers working together for ten years just to find a place to set a ward breaker charm, let alone break the wards."

"I knew I should have charged Greengrass more!" Ironstream muttered before he motioned the boy-who-lived to continue.

"If Death and I blend our transfiguration spell together, we'll change these two wizards into whatever you want and the lasting power of spell will be mult…" Harry looked at Death to help explain.

"Multiplied," the red dragon hissed in English.

"I will do with elven magic," added Swampy.

"And I will do with goblin magic," offered Whatcha, enjoying the concept from math helping with casting a powerful spell.

"If those spells are cast together, would the spell ever wear off?" asked Felicity.

"Doubtful…" mused Ironstream. "But Dumbledore would spend hours and hours of his time and his magic trying to undo it."

"But because we cast the spell, anyone of us could undo it with a simple finite spell," Harry said, motioning toward his brothers and sisters.

Ironstream's grin grew even wider to imagine the frustration that Dumbledore would feel being unable to free his toads.

He announced, "I propose that we send Dumbledore a smart new terrarium with a couple toads in it to mark the end of the school year."

&&^^%%^^&&

Irritated to no end to receive a 'gift' from Gringotts Bank that confused him and delighted his phoenix, Albus Dumbledore stared at the terrarium with the two large toads that had appeared on his desk with a note signed by Harry Potter of all people.

**Headmaster. My lessons in wizarding culture suggest it is appropriate to provide gifts to my headmaster from time to time. I hope this terrarium with two large toads is such a gift. Please take good care of Dedalus and Elphias!**

&&^^%%^^&&

Dumbledore's week had been frustrating: two members of the Order of the Phoenix disappeared during the unfortunate venture into Gringotts, Arthur wouldn't speak to him, and Mortimer threw up on Dumbledore's new purple robes as soon as he entered the Wizengamot chambers the other day.

Neither man remembered anything about the trip into the bank. Young Shacklebolt still lay at St. Mungo's in recovery and the invisibility cloak borrowed from the DMLE was still missing – Amelia Bones was unlikely to forget or forgive the loss of that expensive item.

His spells told him these were two enchanted frogs, but none of the cancellation or finite variations he'd tried had ended the spell. He refused to consider the idea of kissing the toads or of asking Minerva or Pomona to give the toads a kiss.

Calling the head elf into his office, Dumbledore instructed the elf to see to the care and feeding of the toads during his absence for ICW meetings and vacation. He'd let Minerva get the school ready for the fall term while resting in some warm climate where they served drinks all day long.

Then he remembered – he didn't serve on the ICW any longer and worse Gellert was dead. With tears in his eyes, Dumbledore summoned his trunk and departed Hogwarts for a month. Dedalus and Elphias could wait in their comfortable terrarium.

&&^^%%^^&&

Suddenly, it was the beginning of August and Professor Vector came to meet Whatchamacallit and talk about arithmancy and numbers. With the agreement of the goblins, she returned every other for the next two weeks to give the dragon lessons.

Neville was due to return from Florida soon and Harry looked forward to seeing other friends again as they prepared for their second year at Hogwarts.

++)00(++


	39. Chapter 39

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Ironstream arranges for Harry to get to fly with his brothers and sisters (and elves) as the goblins perform experiments with strengthening wards.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 39 Dragons Need to Fly

*(+++++)*

SCENE "Wait, I Own an Island?"

At the end of a morning's lessons with the dragons on proper English speech patterns and with Hagrid on correct pronunciation of {Stop!} and {Dinner!} in parsel-tongue, the young wizard was pleased to find Ironstream waiting on him. Hedwig had listened quietly to the lessons and only hooted encouragement to her boy and her dragons.

"Young Potter, I have a proposal for you and your 'babies'," the goblin announced.

"Hey, Ironstream! What's up?"

Shaking his head but welcoming the boy's casual speech on this occasion, Ironstream said, "I want to take you and the dragons out this afternoon to fly."

"Fly?" came the response from the dragons and boy simultaneously. Harry certainly had completed his assignment to teach the dragons to speak English this summer. It proved harder to teach others parsel-tongue but the dragons and the boy were making strides with Garfish, the goblin tongue.

"Where?" Harry asked while Hedwig hooted her own enthusiasm for the idea.

"Well, it appears that the Potters – you – own an island off the coast of Wales that has been under wards for the last couple hundred years. It's almost three miles long from north to south but only a mile to a half mile wide."

"Wait, I own an island?" asked Harry.

"Potter's Escape was part of an estate your ancestor Phillip Seymour included in a dowry for his daughter Imogene who married Henry Potter in the late 1700s. The island was put under wards and used only as a hunting retreat for the family – there is a small farm on the eastern edge with a small castle."

"We got a castle to fly around!" Harry told the dragons. "We can storm the castle!"

"Hear now," Hagrid interrupted. "Only play! No tearing down walls or towers! This is a home for Harry and Felicity so we'll just visit!"

"Go now?" asked Flat, her command of English fading as her excitement grew. "I want to fly very much."

"Harry, if you'll summon your elves, we'll see if they can find the island."

Very quickly Apollo, Ares, Venus and the other elves appeared and with the information provided by Ironstream and with Harry's 'permission' the elves popped out to the island. Apollo came back quickly and took Harry and Hedwig back with him.

Harry, his owl and elf appeared on a path that led from a beach that appeared to a natural occurrence as the water in the Irish Sea brushed up against the coastline of Wales. In the distance – a mile or two – Harry could make out the shoreline of Wales. There was a forest behind him and Apollo led the boy-who-lived up to a clearing where he found several gardens laid out – there was a large vegetable garden with bee hives, a large flower garden, and a small orchard of various fruit trees.

Hedwig took off to explore the immediate area and Harry walked on toward his castle. At the edge of the gardens, there were broad steps that led to the 'small' castle. The highest of the two towers was fifty feet above the gardens and his Potter elves were joined by a few more elves who kept up the castle and gardens.

"Apollo, go get the dragons," Harry said. "They can land…"

Looking around, Harry found that the elves had cleared out enough of the forest around the castle to make a field that could hold the four dragons.

"Yes!" the young wizard shouted as the elves disappeared for a moment before they popped back with Hagrid, Ironstream, Swampy, Flat, Whatcha, and Death. The four dragons lifted their heads to breath the fresh clean air and to flap their wings in anticipation of flying. Hedwig returned to the clearing, hooted with the dragons and her boy for a time but then went to sleep in a tall tree.

"Is Hedwig not flying with you today?" asked Hagrid.

Harry shook his head and explained, "She says the dragons will turn on the speed today and she's going to sleep instead of flying like a dragon."

Clearing his throat to capture everyone's attention, Ironstream informed the boy and dragons, "Now, there are some rules!"

"Yes, Account Manager Ironstream," Swampy said seriously. "We will follow your instructions, won't we brothers, Harry and Death?"

The 'brothers' exchanged a glance and snickered just a bit before agreeing.

"If I have any problems with your behaviour today, Healer Grossman is likely to rescind her permission for flying while she is on duty in the hospital," Ironstream informed the 'boys' who now nodded their heads in understanding.

"Felicity knows we're here?" asked Harry.

Hagrid snorted as Ironstream raised his eyebrows and asked, "Heir Potter, does your guardian allow you to venture forth on adventures that she isn't aware of? This isn't Hogwarts with an idiot headmaster in charge!"

"No, Account Manager," Harry replied as he blushed.

"She's coming out to the island for tea later this afternoon with her beau to look over the castle. If it's in good shape…"

There were howls of protest from the elves at that insult.

"…she might agree to spending the Christmas holidays here."

"Fly! Account Manager Ironpants!" insisted Death. "Dragons need to fly!"

Chuckling at the name given to the goblin, Hagrid said, "You can fly to the north end of the island and then fly along the westside to the southern tip, back up to east side all the way to the north and then come back here. I want to see how your muscles do with that trip."

"Where's my broomstick?" asked Harry.

Ironstream pulled out an odd harness and said, "We thought you could take turns riding on the dragons."

Harry's eyes grew huge as he turned to the four dragons and asked, "Can I please? Can I ride on your backs?"

"Me first!" insisted Death, pushing his way to Ironstream to have the harness tied around his neck and chest. Then Harry climbed up with Hagrid's help and the four dragons launched into the clear air with only the sound of their wings.

)**(**)**(

While Harry and the dragons spent the next two hours flying, Hagrid explored the nearby forest for signs of creatures; birds, squirrels, a few rabbits, a large herd of deer. The dragons would thin the herd of deer later – today was about mapping the island and strengthening the wards.

During the second pass around the island, Ironstream took an iron stick out of a pocket, stretched out to about five feet tall, and then thrust it into a section of soft dirt at the edge of the garden where it stood upright. Then he watched as the rod began to glow.

Felicity and Remus showed up bearing picnic baskets from muggle London that included treats from Harrods and other shops. The island elves offered apples and pears to complete the repast spread on a large blanket beside a short stone wall where Hagrid could sit.

For tea, the dragons were fed sheep carcasses in their field, a little separated from the others who were feasting on sandwiches, fruit and mugs of ale (with butterbeer for Harry).

++)00(++

While Harry and the dragons made another circuit around the island, Hedwig, Remus and Felicity went into the castle and checked for the guest book – there'd not been anyone here since before Fleamont and Euphemia Potter died.

"It doesn't look like Lily and James ever came here," Remus said.

"Did James ever mention the island to you?"

Remus shook his head. "After Hogwarts… well after we graduated… James and Sirius dropped me."

"What?" Felicity asked. "Why? You all seemed so close at school…"

"They got werewolf fatigue I guess."

"But they helped you all through school…"

Remus shook his head and explained. "I carried James, Sirius, and Peter through school with all their papers and homework. It was very easy for me, and Sirius mastered spells to copy my work with enough variation to fool McGonagall and Flitwick."

"Ungrateful berks…" Felicity muttered.

"Were your experiments successful?" Felicity asked Ironstream when the couple returned to the clearing in front of the castle. Hedwig returned to flying through the trees, searching for squirrels in the trees and rabbits along the ground.

Remus, Felicity, and Hagrid watched with some interest as the goblin pulled the faintly glowing rod from the ground and collapsed it back into a foot-long stick that he stuck into his pocket.

"We'll know soon enough when we get back to London."

)(**&&**)(

Harry and the four dragons landed after many hours of flying at break-neck speeds around the island.

"It was great, Felicity! We flew single file, in a wide line, then in a couple different formations. Finally, Whatcha and Flat flew patterns around me, Death and Swampy that really threw out lots of colours of magic."

)(**&&**)(

Ignoring Ironstream when they returned to Gringotts, Harry went to the dragon quarters again and ended up bedding down with Death for the night. The red dragon took special care to settle down beside his 'brother' that evening with elves nearby to stand guard over the family.

The goblin took the iron stick to the ward master and the curse-breakers to evaluate the magic it contained. After a full day of testing, the ward master expanded the stick back to be full size and the glowing iron rod was slipped into a channel carved from stone in a chamber deep under the bank.

)(**&&**)(

The Ministry for Magic monitored all 'visible' magic in the British Isles. They could pinpoint every muggleborn child who exhibited uncontrolled magic and would register each portkey or apparition that occurred outside of a warded house or building. That afternoon, 24 August 1992, the ministry lost contact with the whole of Diagon Alley for five minutes and once the monitors were working once again, there continued to be a large hole where Gringotts Bank had been.

Aurors rushed to the scene and reported back that everything was normal in the alley and no one reported feeling or seeing anything different.

Director Bones went to the bank and once she stepped through the door, she felt the wards of the bank examining her, welcoming her, and signalling that her Account Manager was coming to the lobby.

"What happened this afternoon?" she asked the teller who ignored her completely as her account manager arrived.

"Director Bones, welcome to Gringotts Bank of London. How are you this afternoon?" asked Gritphoot, the Bones account manager.

"Gritphoot, can you help me understand what has occurred here in the bank today?"

Before the goblin could offer any explanation, a wizard entered the bank, turned pale and threw up before turning and running from the bank.

Her goblin manager said in a regular tone, "He must have had bad intentions for the wards to throw him out?"

"Bad intentions?" asked the confused witch.

"For the bank… some kind of swindle or lie in his plans."

Bones asked, "What would happen to real thief?"

The goblin grinned and bringing one hand up to his mouth, he said, "Poof!"

The fingers of his hand opened out like an explosion, and then wiggled as they imitated confetti or dust falling through the air.

"Can I get these wards at the ministry?" she asked with genuine interest.


	40. Chapter 40

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

Scared by the power of new goblin wards, Ogden Standish tries to make much of the threat of wards and the mystery of 'toads' in Dumbledore's office. When he demands the ministry act against the goblins and Dumbledore endorses the idea, Harry makes the two old wizards look foolish.

There are many meetings in Gringotts as the summer ends and the Department of Mysteries begins to ask questions about Tom Riddle and last summer's fires. And Draco Malfoy takes his father's ramblings to heart.

*(+++++)*

Chapter 40 Wards, Dragons, and Toads

*(+++++)*

SCENE New Wards Around Gringotts

The Daily Prophet made much of the Gringotts press release announcing the new, improved wards that the bank would sell and install for any witch or wizard with sufficient galleons. The goblins refused to reveal the process or spells that were used to create the wards but they invited anyone with interest to come to the bank and 'experience' them.

In the week following the announcement, many ministry officials did visit the bank for personal business or to test the new wards. Several wizards and witches who claimed to be 'light' found the wards to be very uncomfortable and escaped Gringotts as quickly as possible. Wizards who wore the dark mark found it possible to enter the bank only when they were seeking funds from their vaults or planned to conduct honest business.

Discussions at the Ministry about obtaining these wards for the ministry building were heated with more than a few wizards pointing out that government might come to a halt if enough wizards were unable to come to the office and the Wizengamot.

Standish Ogden snarled, "You're fooling no one if you think that the Ministry can function without some dark deals every day!"

SCENE "Kill the Dragons! Kill the Goblins!"

The wizards who were 'uncomfortable' behind the new wards began a campaign of whispers across the floo and in person to create support in the ministry to demand that the goblins take down these powerful protections around the bank. And Standish worked harder than any other wizard to make everything a plot by the goblins against wizards.

It was just a week before the beginning of another year at Hogwarts when Dumbledore appeared in the Wizengamot with a terrarium housing two large and ugly toads.

Rising to speak, Standish Ogden pointed at the terrarium and claimed that the goblins had used their dragons to transform wizards into toads practicing how to take over the whole of Magical Britain.

"I demand that the Ministry force Gringotts to kill these nasty dragons that are lurking underneath the bank!"

In rebuttal, the ministry's official liaison with the goblins rose to explain that Gringotts was by treaty a separate realm of sorts within Britain and only answered to the Muggle Queen.

"You're just a dirty filthy mudblood yourself!" Ogden screamed out. "You want to see the purebloods killed by the goblins!"

When Minister Diggory rose to response, Ogden continued venting, "And Diggory is a secret muggleborn too!"

The chief warlock, Daniel Greengrass forced silence on the Wizengamot and forced Standish Ogden to remain in his chair or be expelled from the chamber for the remainder of the day.

Albus Dumbledore rose to speak and was recognized. In his carefully crafted sentences that followed Ogden's diatribe, Dumbledore sounded reasonable in his demands that Harry Potter be brought before this chamber to explain how the two toads came to be transfigured and sent to the headmaster.

"We need a reasonable explanation of this new, terrible goblin magic that has deprived Britain… that has captured these two wizards in the shape of toads," Dumbledore said in conclusion.

And so, a polite but formal request was sent to Chief Ragnock at Gringotts Bank that Harry Potter make himself available for questioning by the Wizengamot immediately. Per the treaties between the Ministry and Gringotts, there was no reason to delay the request so Harry was summoned from the 'nursery'.

Within fifteen minutes, Harry Potter, Felicity, Ironstream and a dozen goblin guards used a portkey to appear in the atrium of the Ministry. Ministry workers scurried out of the way as Aurors appeared to escort the boy-who-lived into the Wizengamot chamber.

Before Dumbledore could take command of the situation, Amelia Bones stepped into the centre of the stage, and directed the Aurors to step back while Ironstream directed the goblins to maintain their positions around Harry and Felicity.

Chief Warlock Greengrass thanked Ironstream for bringing Harry Potter to the chamber and then verbally recognized Felicity as the witch who was Mr Potter's guardian. With her permission, he explained the concern of members of the Wizengamot that the two wizards were permanently transfigured as toads.

"The goblins did something terrible!" Dumbledore announced without permission to speak. "This is unknown magic that can't be dispelled!"

"For Merlin's sake…" shouted Harry Potter who walked into the well and bowed to the Chief Warlock. "Lord Greengrass, as the Headmaster well remembers, the first spell I was taught was finite incantatem to dispel the compulsion spells he keeps casting on everyone."

Then Harry looked at Standish Ogden and said, "Sir, I hope you've been checked not to be under compulsion to aide Dumbledore."

"What?" replied the old wizard in surprize. Standish turned toward at Dumbledore ready to unleash his rage on a new target.

"I believe the headmaster is losing his magic," Harry continued. "Allow me."

With a simple flick of his magic wand, the boy-who-lived cast finite incantatem on the terrarium. With bright white light, both toads transformed back into wizards; as they enlarged, they filled the glass case, tipped it over and everything fell to the floor of the Wizengamot.

"How is this possible?" demanded Standish Ogden.

Harry shrugged, a very muggle-like gesture, before he said, "I guess I should have put 'em on the floor…"

Dumbledore approached the boy his hand out, "Give me your wand! What secret spells did you cast?"

Backing away from the headmaster, Harry said, "No! You always want to get your hands on my wand but no wizard is supposed to allow that!"

"Give me the bloody wand!" Dumbledore commanded taking a step closer to Harry as he brandished his funny wand. Before Dumbledore could do something foolish, Felicity pushed her way through the goblins.

Only a foot from Dumbledore's face, she shouted, "Don't touch Harry!"

While Dumbledore frowned, he did back up and Director Bones placed herself between Albus and the boy while Aurors helped the two transformed men back to their feet. Felicity came to Harry's side and placed an arm around his shoulders. Her wand was in her hand and pointed directly at Albus Dumbledore.

"Are you sure you won't transfer to Beauxbatons?" she asked loudly enough for everyone in the Wizengamot to hear.

"Headmaster, no one ever asks to hold another witch's wand unless that person is an Auror investigating a crime."

Then Bones asked, "Do you think Mr Potter committed a crime?"

"Someone imprisoned these two wizards for a month as toads! The boy sent them to me with a cheeky note at the end of July," Dumbledore complained.

"And what did you do?" Bones inquired.

"I tried to dispel the magic multiple times but it was too strong," Dumbledore replied.

"And how many days did you attempt this magic? Did you consult with others? 

"No, I had other engagements."

"You mean you had vacation plans and left two wizards as toads while you rested in Majorca… or was it Shangri-La this year?" Bones explained to the members of the Wizengamot in the chamber.

"And then suddenly, just before the begin of the new school year, you and Mr Ogden decide to make this an issue for the Wizengamot."

"My vacation doesn't signify…"

"Possibly, but I am surprized that upon your return yesterday, the condition of these two 'toads' suddenly became a major concern of yours, warranting the gathering of the entire Wizengamot!"

Standish Ogden chose that moment to shout, "The boy is being taught dark magic in the caverns underneath Gringotts! He must be saved from the goblins."

Bones turned to Harry and asked, "Mr Potter, have you been learning any Dark Magic this summer?"

"No ma'am. I have studied potions for healing, arithmancy and maths, transfiguration, and charms. We went to see the Royal Navy ships at Plymouth, went on picnics, and I got to fly a lot."

Bones glanced around at the chamber, the members were either bored or smiling to hear the boy-who-lived tell about a pleasant summer. "And it appears your transfiguration lessons have been very successful if you're able to turn two wizards into toads."

Harry frowned and explained, "They came to Gringotts and tried to kidnap my familiar."

"What?" asked several other wizards. "Gringotts?"

"How do you know this?" Bones asked the boy.

"My account manager and Felicity questioned them," Harry replied. "Dumbledore sent them."

"I never did any such thing!" denied the headmaster.

"Then why did Shacklebolt leave his DMLE cloak behind when the owls threw him out of the owl tower?" asked Harry. "The owls like it and won't return it. I asked…"

"What?" asked Bones. "His cloak?"

"What did you do, Dumbledore?" asked Chief Warlock Greengrass.

"I didn't…"

"Yes, you did!" shouted Dedalus Diggle, as Elphias Doge nodded his head. "Dumbledore sent us with Arthur Weasley and Roger Mortimer to get Shack into the bank under his invisibility cloak to get hold of Potter's owl."

"You were told by Albus Dumbledore to…"

Dumbledore had his wand up and trying to cast a spell but Bones grabbed the old wizard's arm, plucked the wand from his hand, and pushed Dumbledore to the floor.

"Put him in restraints," Bones ordered an Auror who hesitated for less than a second to follow the orders.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing with the other Aurors when Bones turned on him, her wand in her hand. "What did this wizard order you to do?"

Shacklebolt had managed to hide the loss of the cloak until now but realized his 'goose was cooked' so he confessed, "Albus Dumbledore needed some hostage to force Potter to bend to his will. Someone that would make the boy obey his orders… to kiss Dumbledore's… feet. He couldn't touch any of the students and had to settle for the owl familiar."

"I was to stupefy the owl and bring her Hogwarts," the Auror said as Harry Potter growled as he'd heard Remus do from time to time.

"Put him in a holding cell, take his wand and everything that identifies him as an Auror!" Bones ordered as more Aurors appeared and led Kingsley Shacklebolt away.

"But the boy's using dark goblin magic!" Standish shouted. "How else did he turn Diggle and Doge into toads that Dumbledore couldn't undo?"

Bones asked, "Mr Potter, may I see your wand to determine what spells you cast this summer?"

Glancing up at Felicity, who frowned but nodded, Harry offered Amelia Bones his wand. She was the first person to touch it other than Harry since Ironstream checked it the year before.

The director of the DMLE spoke as she cast a standard revealing spell, "For the record, Mr Potter cast a simple finite incantatem to release the transfigured wizards, Doge and Diggle. The other spells include transfiguration and charms exercises that any magical child behind wards would have been practicing this summer."

She handed the wand back to Harry and asked, "I didn't see any DADA spells here. What would Professor Moody say about you slacking off this summer?"

Harry smiled and said, "When Susie visits the bank, we've have lessons in defence with Professor Moody."

Her eyebrows shooting upwards, Bones managed to close her mouth before turning back to Dumbledore and shaking her head.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I highly recommend that you go to St. Mungo's and have a complete physical examination. Mr Potter was able to dispel the transfiguration that held your 'toads' in their terrarium for the last month with a simple finite incantatem. If your core is wearing out…"

"My magical core is fine!" Dumbledore said. "Ogden is correct! They're teaching the boy dark magic at Gringotts! It's the dragons!"

"Kill the dragons!" shouted Ogden. "Kill the goblins!"

Truly fearing for the lives of his brothers and sisters, Harry Potter gripped his wand tightly and reviewed the spells he knew would blast that old man into the benches behind him hard enough to break his bones while Felicity tightened her grip on her ward.

"Don't do anything," she whispered. "You know that nothing and no one can make it to the nursery! And the elves will pop them to the island if they must hide!"

Harry's eyes promised the old wizard pain and Standish Ogden fell silent seeing the power flashing in the green eyes that suddenly reminded him of his dead daughter's bright eyes.

"Silence!" ordered Chief Warlock Greengrass and there were no more voices or noises heard in the chamber of the Wizengamot. He considered his options but then decided to take decisive action.

"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I do hereby name Standish Ogden and Albus Dumbledore as agitators in this chamber. I order them to be ejected and not allowed to return to the Wizengamot until there is a unanimous vote by all remaining members to readmit them."

"You can't do this to me!" Dumbledore exclaims. "We have to approve the Hogwarts budget tomorrow!"

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Gringotts Meetings

There were several meetings that occurred in Gringotts as the summer holidays came to an end.

First, Bill Weasley returned from his year of 'exile' in Iceland with excellent performance reports with his use of and improvement of cave banishment charms to enlarge existing caverns. His boss, Sowsbreath, met him and provided him with a charmed ring that would deflect any compulsion back upon the caster but make them turn different colours.

"Who ever attempts to cast the compulsion will spend the next twenty-four hours red, or blue, or green… maybe striped," Sowsbreath told the curse-breaker. "This is new so make certain you accurately report how well it works."

"Thanks Boss," Bill said. "What's my next assignment?"

Pleased at the young wizard's work ethic, Sowsbreath said, "You can take up to two weeks off now and then head for a promising dig in Italy. We think we've found the tomb of an Etruscan king-wizard and there'll be prizes buried there for certain."

"The Romans would have given anything to have found that tomb," Bill remarked. "Let me have a day or two to check on my family. The kids are headed to school on the first and I can leave that same day."

*(+++++)*

In another office, while waiting for Sowsbreath, Severus Snape met with Jasper Hewitt, and his boss, Andrew Lovett from MI-5. The potion master's first summer with a muggle chemistry lab and a fully stocked wizarding potions lab was promising for developing muggle versions of three magical potions; hangover cure, hair relaxer, and tooth decay restoration. They were three simple potions and the process for muggle duplication would give them a process for future development of other, more difficult potions.

"Have the apprentices proven to be good men and women?" asked Hewitt.

Snape didn't sneer but merely inclined his head and replied, "I expect to see substantial progress from them when I meet with them at Christmas."

Lovett kept his face neutral but his thoughts were, _'That's high praise from Severus Snape. He'll wonder what training the muggleborn were provided after leaving Hogwarts and begin to implement the scientific method in his classes. Win-Win for everyone.' _

*(+++++)*

Ironstream looked up from his desk as a wizard was escorted into his office; Gilderoy Lockhart was always overdressed for any occasion with enough makeup to boost profits at Miss Puttyroots Shoppe of Beauty for a quarter.

"And what can I do for you, Mr Lockhart?" Ironstream asked as he ignored the man's nervous tick.

"I need your help, Ironstone," Lockhart replied.

Looking up from his paperwork, the goblin frowned, but replied, "Ironstream."

"Sorry?" asked the flustered Lockhart.

"My name is Ironstream. Ironstone was the name of my great-grandfather who helped dig this cavern from the rock underneath London, almost five centuries ago."

"My apologies sir, I was going off the top name on the side of the door…"

"What can I do for you Mr Lockhart?"

"As I said, I need your help."

Ironstream lay aside his brio (he loved the muggle equivalents of a hundred quills for the cost of a single, cheap quill).

"Mr Lockhart, you are trying my patience! How can I help you today?"

"I need to vanish from London, from Magical Britain… today."

"But I thought you were beginning a year as the DADA professor at Hogwarts on the first?"

"There are other considerations…"

Ironstream's eyebrows rose to considerable heights as Lockhart revealed a most unfortunate series of events that made him the target of two angry families.

"And which lovely lady will be making the trip with you?' Ironstream asked as he reviewed the list of Lockhart's assets that could be easily liquidated to provide ready cash.

"I… I believe I must flee to safety by myself and contact them again… in a few years."

Ironstream tapped his fingers on the parchment for a moment and made the 'faux-author' a decent amount of galleons for the global copyright for all his titles.

"But what am I to do for money later?" the wizard asked.

Ironstream smiled and said, "Why, you must write more books. Perhaps you could write books for witches that detail your many conquests… your beauty secrets and your secrets for keeping the witches at your beck and call."

And so, Gilderoy Lockhart fled Britain before the heads of two powerful Wizengamot families could file lawsuits for attempted line theft. The fact that neither young witch had actually met Lockhart, been seduced, or sent him tear-stained letters asking him to come for her, was never known to Lockhart. The witch who portrayed both young girls was a consummate actress using Polyjuice.

Ironstream had been unable to insert another 'minder' into Hogwarts and he hesitated to allow Harry another year without proper supervision under Dumbledore's control. Lockhart's manufactured reputation as a 'seducer of innocent witches' was totally fiction as far as anyone at Gringotts could discover. For two young witches, just out of Hogwarts, to throw themselves at him had gone to the fop's head for certain.

The threat of fatherhood and time in Azkaban sent the author seeking an escape. As an added bonus, Ironstream was able to acquire rights to the "Boy-Who-Lived" books that would be pulled from store shelves as of this evening. As Lockhart signed away his rights to the books of his adventures (and his Harry Potter fiction), Ironstream remembered the actress declining any bonus pay.

"It was extremely quick and short work… in every way," she explained.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Hogwarts Headmaster's Office

After crumbling up and throwing the letter from Lockhart across the room, Albus Dumbledore held his head in his hands. This summer was one continuous problem without a single success, and now, at the last possible moment, he'd lost the DADA professor who would bring good press to the school (without outshining him).

If he went to Bones, she'd send Moody again and there'd be arguments, reports… a repeat of the previous year. Good test scores weren't worth the hassle of a nosey DMLE.

'_Who can I get that I can reasonably control?'_ Albus wondered. He looked up, wishing for the hundredth time that he still had 'his' pensieve with all the memories of years of students. Looking at his recent rosters – Severus had wanted the position from time to time but trying to replace a professor for potions would be worse than trying to find a new defence professor.

'_Lupin! Remus Lupin!'_ Dumbledore smiled as he wrote a quick note, called Fawkes – the flighty bird actually appeared – to deliver the message.

*(+++++)*

Sitting on the sofa in Felicity's quarters, Remus and Harry argued about the purpose of the extra flick of the wand at the end of the Wingardium Leviosa charm. Suddenly Hedwig hooted from her perch in the corner and all six Potter elves popped into the room just as a fireball appeared and transformed into Fawkes. The phoenix deposited a letter in Lupin's hand before gliding over to sit on the back of chair and begin a conversation with Hedwig.

The door opened as Felicity returned from her work day as a healer and asked, "Harry, why is there a phoenix in our lounge?"

"Fawkes brought me a letter," Remus said as he rose to cross the room and kiss the healer on the lips for just a moment.

"Blind! I'm going blind!" teased Harry as his guardian and her boyfriend both blushed. He rose from the sofa to bring Fawkes a handful of grapes from the cooling cabinet.

"A letter? From Hogwarts?" Felicity asked as Harry fed the phoenix under his owl's watchful eye.

Remus smiled as he said, "It appears that Albus Dumbledore finds himself with a spoiled potion still in the cauldron. The day before the new school year, he's lost Gilderoy Lockhart as the Defence Professor and is offering me the position for the whole of the school year."

"The whole year at Hogwarts?" Felicity asked, almost peevishly. "I won't get to see you except for Hogsmeade weekends then."

"You could marry me and we'd have married housing at the school!"

"No!" shouted Harry. "No! No! No!"

"You'd still live in the dorm," Remus told the boy and Hedwig ruffled her feathers as she hooted at her boy. He frowned and fell silent.

"I'm not ready yet, Remus. Ask me again at Christmas," Felicity said as she hugged him. "And next time, let's do this privately please!"

She hugged Harry and hurried to her room to change. It was Harry's last night in London – and apparently Remus's too. When she'd changed and returned to the lounge, Remus had signed the contract and handed it back to Fawkes to deliver. She vanished in a ball of fire, and Hedwig flew out to find her friends to hunt across the city for rats for supper.

"So, where are we going for supper?" Remus asked.

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Malfoy Manor

'_Where is Father this morning?' _the boy wondered as he ate breakfast alone. His mother remained within her chambers again this morning. The Daily Prophet lay beside his father's empty plate and Draco knew not to touch it.

Draco spent the summer thinking about his father's stories; stories about the Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark lord who ever lived. Listening closely to his father's ramblings the young wizard learned that the Dark Lord gathered followers after taking a new name made up of letters rearranged from his birth name.

'_I am going to be a great Dark Lord to please Father!' _Draco decided._ 'And I need to create a new name…'_

The boy quickly rearranged his first name to 'Codra' and he thought, _'I like the sound of that… Dark Lord Codra.'_

Bu then he ran into problems with Malfoy; he tried several different combinations; '_Foylam… Flamoy… Lamyuf… Almyof.'_

'_Codra is good enough,' _Draco decided._ 'Dark Lord Codra!'_

He struck several poses in front of the mirror and decided, _'I must hide until I have followers and power.'_

Draco summoned the house elf Dobby to help him with a a robe.

"I need something with a hood to hide my face," he told the elf. "Can't you see it, Dobby? In the Great Hall at Hogwarts, I'll walk in with the hood over my head and then, at the perfect time, I throw back the hood and announce 'I am Dark Lord Codra! Fear me!' They'll all fear me before Halloween!"

*(+++++)*

SCENE: Department of Mysteries

Unspeakable #17 studied the information in front of her again, her thoughts attempting to collate the data.

'_There were four mysterious fires on the same day and two of the locations were homes of Deatheaters… All Deatheaters and even the Dark Lord supposedly attended Hogwarts… who was he at Hogwarts?' _ she wondered.

A long search into the background of the Dark Lord led Unspeakable #17 to a student named Tom Marvolo Riddle who disappeared just after the end of the Wizards War. She connected the name Marvolo to a degenerated family named 'Gaunt' in the same English town as the 'Riddle' family where the third magical fire destroyed the deserted manor house.

When she read the reports written by Aurors after the fires were extinguished, she discovered that the fire originated in the woods and spread to the manor house. In fact, the muggles extinguished the fire without any help from magical officials, another fact that the department would have to investigate – effective muggle methods for fire suppression couldn't be discounted.

A further search among local, faded, tax records proved the thicket where the fire originated belonged to the Gaunt family before being deserted in the 1940s.

She postulated to her colleagues that Lord Voldemort had actually been the son of a woman from the Gaunt line and a muggle squire named Tom Riddle who died along with his parents very mysteriously in the early 40's. Her research showed their deaths were blamed on the last Gaunt wizard who was sent to Azkaban for his crime of killing three muggles with the killing curse; records showed the wizard died in the late 40's.

"The title he gave himself, 'I am Lord Voldemort' was simply the rearrangement of the letters in his birth name Tom Marvolo Riddle," she explained.

"And with all this circumstantial evidence, what is your conclusion?" asked Unspeakable #5.

"Lord 'Moldie' made some sort of container to tie his soul to this existence; in fact, I think he made multiple containers,' explained Unspeakable #17. "When he was 'killed' on 31 October 1981, the wraith of his soul was thrown out into the world. On 1 August of last year, he attempted some sort of ritual to return but botched it. While he fought off death, he pulled the magic from his different containers and each of them ignited, starting the fires in Wiltshire, London, Northern England, and Hogwarts."

"Make an inquiry among the researchers at Gringotts," directed Unspeakable #5. "Share information with them and ask for their observations from 1 August 1991."

"I want something solid before we begin questioning Mr Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore."

*(+++++)*


End file.
